Words don’t declare laws.
Patterns do.

Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste warned that the Philippines is experiencing what he described as “de facto Martial Law”—not formally declared, but felt. In a widely shared reel, he said fear has pushed many into silence as critics face cases, pressure, and selective enforcement, while others are spared.

Leviste argued that measures are being approved with little debate, budgets running into billions pass with minimal scrutiny, and public funds are allegedly used to amplify friendly narratives—through paid personalities and troll operations—while critics are targeted. He drew parallels to the Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., noting that resistance then came from opposition figures, civil society, and the private sector who refused to normalize fear.

His message ends on a civic warning: speaking out is not optional if corruption is to be confronted; silence, he said, will be remembered—not as neutrality—but as participation.

Quietly, the post reframes today’s debate away from labels and toward lived experience. If citizens feel constrained, chilled, or punished for dissent, Leviste suggests, the question is no longer what the law says—but what power does.

Discreet satire, unavoidable math: when oversight fades and noise is funded, governance doesn’t need a proclamation—it just needs compliance.