To Moss or Not to Moss…?

[Zeus]

Hi, all - I’ve been gifted my 3rd Phal by friends and I’m in the process of planning repotting, etc etc..

This particular one has 3/4 to a full inch of moss growing along the surface and, naturally, it’s VERY damp as a result.

I’ve never had to deal with this with my other orchids, so I don’t know what to do. Should I remove this layer when I change over to the new potting medium? It’s so thick that it appears to be inhibiting the growth of air roots, but that could be my imagination. I expect to completely clear the roots with chopsticks when I repot, so I assumed I would remove this top layer as well, but I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.

Pictures attached. The very well-meaning friends moved it from the original plastic pot to a traditional ceramic pot for presentation purposes. It’s too big and doesn’t afford any airflow - issues that will be solved in the next few days when the new pot delivers.

Thanks!