The Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court has partially granted actor-host Vic Sotto’s petition against director Darryl Yap, mandating the removal of the teaser for Yap’s film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma, which explores the tragic life of the late actress Pepsi Paloma.
On January 27, The Philippine STAR reported an update from Muntinlupa RTC Branch 150 regarding the 19 cyber libel complaints filed by Sotto. The complaints stem from the trailer’s release, where Sotto’s name was linked to a decades-old rape allegation involving Paloma.
In its decision, the court stated that it “partially granted” Sotto’s Writ of Habeas Data petition and directed Yap to “delete, take down, and remove the 26-second teaser video from online platforms, social media, or any other medium.” The ruling cited the misuse of information in the teaser, which presented an unverifiable conversation between two deceased individuals.
Despite this, the court allowed Yap to proceed with the theatrical release of the film, which will be shown exclusively in cinemas. Yap has since confirmed this on his social media platforms.
As of this writing, the controversial teaser remains visible on Yap’s Facebook page.
