On Monday, Jan. 27, Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 205 Judge Liezel Aquiatan ruled that the 26-second teaser for Darryl Yap’s film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma be removed. The teaser wrongly suggested that actor and TV host Vic Sotto was involved in the 1980s rape case of actress Pepsi Paloma.
The court ordered Yap and anyone associated with him, including the production company VinCentiments, to delete the video from all platforms and media. The court cited the misleading presentation of a conversation between two deceased people, which couldn’t be verified as factual.
Yap’s lawyer, Raymond Fortun, confirmed in a message to the press that Yap would not appeal the ruling, as it still allows the film to be released in theaters. Yap had previously announced that the movie was set to hit cinemas nationwide on Feb. 5.
However, Yap has yet to confirm whether the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), led by Ciara Sotto-Antonio (Vic Sotto’s niece), has approved the film’s rating.
Yap also revealed that the film’s title would differ between international and local releases. While the international version would keep the controversial title, The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma, the local release would simply be called Pepsi Paloma. It’s reported that the SM cinema chain won’t book films with sensitive titles, but there’s no official word yet on whether they have decided to show Yap’s movie.