The legal team of director Darryl Yap has requested a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) to merge the cases filed against him regarding the teaser for his movie, The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma.
According to a GMA News report, Yap faces a petition for a writ of habeas data filed by actor and host Vic Sotto before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205. Additionally, Sotto has filed 19 counts of cyberlibel against Yap with the Muntinlupa Office of the Prosecutor (OCP).
In a motion submitted to the court, Yap’s camp argued that the petition and the cyberlibel complaints involve the same parties, content, and subject matter. They asked the court to forward the petition to the prosecutor’s office to be consolidated with the cyberlibel cases. Yap’s camp also requested the cancellation of the January 15 hearing on the habeas data petition.
Sotto’s petition seeks to compel Yap to remove all promotional materials, teaser videos, and content related to the film that mention Sotto’s name and personal details. It also aims to prohibit Yap from releasing similar materials on any platform.
The film’s teaser, released on January 1, implicated Sotto by name and accused him of rape. Sotto claimed he was not consulted about the project, a statement disputed by Yap’s lawyer, Raymond Fortun, who said Yap sent Sotto a copy of the script in advance for feedback.
