Investigate Tarriela’s Moro-Moro
ACPSSII Media Briefing/Zoom Seminar; September 30, 2023
On the 24th of September 2023 reports of sighting of a CCG “floating barrier” which were published in various Manila newspapers. The Philippine Coast Guard condemned the barrier on the 24th of September and announced on September 25, 2023 it would remove the barrier. On September 26th reports of the removal of the said barrier was tweeted by NTF-WPS spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela accompanied by videos and some photos of the removal.
The problem with Tarriela’s videos and photos is that it did not show the following: 1) any credible length of the barrier, his photos showed at best a six-meter length of rope with a few floaters attached and the underwater rope-cutting did not show a similar array of many floaters attached in neat sequence; 2) the rusted anchor with a few meters of rope is not part of a floating barrier system that’s meant to be temporary.
Our other questions were echoed by the September 26th Associated Press report which cited, “…It did not provide other details, such as whether the entire barrier was removed, when the operation occurred and how Chinese coast guard ships, which have closely guarded the shoal for years, reacted.” The SCSPI Twitter account pointe out that “…the Floating Barrier is temporarily deployed between two ships when needed, not quite like the one your guys removed.”
China’s Coast Guard “…spokesperson Gan Yu said that on September 22, a Philippine official vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources illegally entered the territorial waters near Huangyan Dao without China’s permission and engaged in provocations. China Coast Guard lawfully took necessary measures, including verbal warnings and route controls, to effectively manage the situation. In response to the Philippine vessel’s intrusion into the lagoon, temporary blocking nets were deployed. Subsequently, on September 23, these blocking devices were voluntarily removed, and normal control was restored.”
The Chinese Coast Guard photo showed the long, bulky floating barrier on the deck of a ship. Tarriela did not even attempt to present evidence of the 300-meter barrier the PCG says it had cut. Tarriela’s date for the cutting of the floating barrier was the 25th of September. Therefore, the reason Tarriela’s diving boys cannot present any significant length of a floating barrier is that it had been removed on the 23rd by the CCG.
The Moro-Moro and subsequent loquacious bragging of Tarriela revealed certain truths the Philippine government, the DFA and the PCG have been ling about for the past decade. In the reliable Manila Times 28th of September report Tarriela is quoted saying that “Filipino fishermen could only fish within the immediate vicinity of the Shoal because the lagoon has been guarded by Chinese vessels…” This Commodore of the PCG is clearly ignorant of the Philippine government’s E.O. also declaring that lagoon as a fish sanctuary.
Tarriela’s statement confirms what I have written repeatedly about – that there is no “harassment” of Filipino fishermen by the CCG in the SCS – but fish sanctuaries are off limits to ALL fishermen and thanks to the CCG the sanctuaries are guarded. But PCG has no capacity to enforce fish sanctuary protection yet ignorantly demands fishermen should be allowed in fish sanctuaries corals, fish breeding grounds, are certain to be damaged.
The Americans, particularly Tarriela’s mentor, ex-US Air Force colonel and presently chief of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation of the U.S. Office of Naval Research is extremely happy with Tarriela’s (and Año now) Moro-Moro, as we show in our Power Point.
Regarding allegations of CCG and “Chinse maritime militia” coral destruction and the environmental case some quarters want to file in the U.N. against China, they should realize that it will backfire on the Philippine government which has been the most incompetent and irresponsible in fulfilling its fisheries, marine and aquatic duties which has caused coral destruction over the decades as the New York Times report we cite here evidences.
Secondly, we should learn by now the big hoax ”lawfare” (war using law) is. The U.S. make their political puppets in Philippine politics do it only for the profit and geopolitical plots of the Americans. Take the arbitration case, it has not gained a single inch of territory or EEZ in the SCS for the country for the ten years of its existence! Our slides from 2016 expose the fraud. Now they want another legal suit that will go nowhere?
Here’s a gentle advice: The Philippines’ Moro-Moro pursuits may finally push China to withdraw economic cooperation from the country which had enjoyed a boom during the friendlier times of Duterte and here’ are a few reminders. The Filipino people should come back to their senses and demand a stop to the Moro-Moro plays and the Zarzuela of its diplomacy and get back to practical goals and cooperation with China.
Finally, we call on the Philippine Senate to exert some of its zealousness in conducting investigations to launch an investigation of Commodore Jay Tarriela’s claim that his PCG conducting cutting operations on the Chinese Coast Guard “floating barrier” and take his statemen under oath to ascertain the veracity of this claim for which Tarriela offers no credible evidence
Herman “Ka Mentong” Tiu Laurel
is a broadcast journalist. He is a former columnist of Daily Tribune (INFOWARS and DIE HARD III; Mondays and Wednesday) and OpinYon (Consumers’ Demand!, Critic’s Critic, and People’s Struggle; weekly).
He hosted Talk News TV and Journeys: Chronicles of our Asian Century, both on Global News Network.
He is now the host of the radio and live stream program Global Talk News Radio for Radyo Pilipinas 1 – 738AM, which broadcasts every Sunday 8AM to 10AM.
While in quarantine, he is hosting the live stream program Power Thinks on his personal Facebook page Herman Laurel and the Global Talk News Radio Facebook page
He was also the former Administrator of the Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC; now called the Bataan Technology Park, Inc.) during the administration of Corazon C. Aquino.
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