China-Philippines sea dispute escalates on the legal front with a cyber libel lawsuit
In a recent interview with This Week in Asia, Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard operations in the West Philippine Sea, addressed the personal toll the accusations made by vlogger Sass Rogando Sasot have had on him and his family[1].
Sasot, a popular vlogger based in Beijing, has been vocal about the Philippines-China sea dispute, often expressing pro-Beijing views. However, her online posts about Tarriela have drawn criticism and led to the filing of a cyber libel complaint against her[1][2].
The complaint was filed at the Manila prosecutor's office on Friday, signifying a legal action against Sasot[1]. Tarriela accused Sasot of falsely accusing him of several serious claims, including receiving a US$4 million "talent fee" from Washington, collecting bags of cash from the residence of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and being expelled from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) for cheating[1][2][3][4].
These allegations have not been verified or proven. Sasot's accusations have not only affected Tarriela's reputation and standing in the Philippine Coast Guard but have also taken a deep personal toll on him[1].
It is worth noting that Tarriela did not provide any evidence to refute the accusations made by Sasot in the interview[1]. The interview did not address the potential consequences of making false accusations in public forums, as highlighted by the filing of the complaint against Sasot by Tarriela[1].
The West Philippine Sea is the term used by Manila to refer to the part of the South China Sea that it claims as its own[6]. The case involving Tarriela and Sasot marks one of the first times the Philippines-China sea dispute has moved into the legal arena involving online defamation[1][2].
The interview with Commodore Jay Tarriela did not provide any new information about the disputed Sandy Cay in the Spratly Islands[1]. The allegation that Tarriela was expelled from the PMA for cheating was also not addressed in the interview[1].
[1] https://www.straitstimes.com/world/asia/philippines-coast-guard-commodore-files-cyber-libel-complaint-against-vlogger-sass-rogando-sasot [2] https://www.rappler.com/nation/692431-philippine-coast-guard-commodore-files-cyber-libel-complaint-against-sass-rogando-sasot [3] https://www.gmanews.tv/news/nation/692341/coast-guard-commodore-files-cyberlibel-case-vs-sass-rogando-sasot/story/ [4] https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/03/20/2099442/coast-guard-commodore-files-cyber-libel-case-vs-sass-rogando-sasot [5] https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/03/20/opinion/editorial/cyber-libel-case-against-sasot/775499/ [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Philippine_Sea
- The political turmoil between Sass Rogando Sasot and Commodore Jay Tarriela, extending into the realm of military personnel, has raised concerns about the impact of general-news and crime-and-justice aspects on public figures.
- Beyond the Philippine-China sea dispute, the legal action taken against Sass Rogando Sasot for cyber libel against Commodore Jay Tarriela has brought the issue of false accusations in online forums into the spotlight of politics and general-news discussions.
