Former Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia has once again clarified that their 1997 song Spoliarium is not connected to the controversy involving Pepsi Paloma and TVJ—Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Tito Sotto—despite persistent speculation.
In a recent interview, Buendia dismissed the long-standing urban legend that the song from the band’s Sticker Happy album was inspired by the 1982 case involving Pepsi.
“Let’s just get it out there. Spoliarium—it’s not about TVJ. It’s not about Vic Sotto and the rape,” Buendia said, adding that he was disheartened when the rumor started because he admired TVJ.
The speculation stemmed from the song’s lyrics, which mention the names “Enteng” and “Joey”—widely associated with Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon. However, Buendia reiterated that those names referred to their band’s road managers at the time.
He previously explained in a podcast that Spoliarium was actually about a drunken night with the band, referencing the gold-flaked liquor Goldschläger.
“Spoliarium is one of those cases where the myth has taken over the facts. But in reality, it’s just about getting drunk,” he explained.
The controversy surrounding the song resurfaced as director Darryl Yap’s upcoming film, The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma, revisits the case. Vic Sotto has since filed a cyber libel case against Yap over the film’s teaser, which mentioned his name.
Pepsi Paloma, whose real name was Delia Dueña Smith, was an actress in the 1980s. She died in 1985 at the age of 18 in an apparent suicide.
