A Manila-based think tank called for an investigation into the 'moro-moro' supposedly instigated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) when it claimed that it 'successfully removed' the floating barrier installed by their Chinese counterparts at the entrance of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).

In a media briefing on Saturday in Quezon City, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI) president Herman Tiu Laurel echoed a declaration by the CCG that the claim by Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on the West Philippine Sea, was 'fictitious,' and 'fabricated.'