THE letter of Mr. Ronald Jay D. Lacson, chief of staff of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, characterizing Rigoberto Tiglao’s column, “Lacson defense of Marcos Jr. so stupid, so sickening,” as “malicious, false and highly actionable,” deserves a measured but firm response.

What is at stake here is not merely the reputation of one senator or the sharpness of one columnist’s pen. What is at stake is the breathing space of our constitutional democracy: the scope of fair comment on public officials and the freedom of a newspaper like The Manila Times to publish robust, even caustic, criticism of those who choose to speak in defense of power.