Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), filed a cyberlibel complaint against blogger Sass Sasot on Friday.
The complaint was lodged before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.
Tarriela said that Sasot allegedly posted “scurrilous libels” against him on her Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts, accusing the PCG official of bribery, corruption, and dishonesty.
“The Respondent (Sasot) employed underhanded tactics to insinuate that I am involved in suspicious and criminal activity, often avoiding any explicit statements. This calculated strategy enables her to cast doubt on my integrity and character without making direct accusations,” Tarriela said.
“However, when viewed in its entirety, it is evident that the Respondent’s intent in publicly posting these commentaries is to undermine my character and damage my reputation,” he added.
Tarriela said Sasot accused him of receiving $4 million “talent fee” from the United States and bags of money from House Speaker Martin Romualdez. He added that Sasot also tagged him as a “Philippine Military Academy cheater.”
The PCG official said all these allegations are entirely false and devoid of any factual basis.
Tarriela is also seeking over P1 million in damages.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Tarriela files cyber libel complaint vs blogger Sasot”