Former Senator Tito Sotto has denied filmmaker Daryll Yap camp's claim that he and his brother, Vic Sotto, received a script for the controversial film "The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma", which implicates their names.
Responding to a media report on X (formerly Twitter), Sotto clarified that the script was given to Vic del Rosario, founder of Viva Films, not to Vic Sotto. Viva Films produced Yap's 2022 film Maid in Malacañang.
"Not true. False. They gave a script to Vic del Rosario, not Vic Sotto. Vic nor I never read their script," Sotto wrote.
Not true. False. They gave a script to Vic del Rosario, not Vic Sotto. Vic nor I never read their script. https://t.co/6yyQUWjNMO
— Tito Sotto (@sotto_tito) January 13, 2025
In his earlier post, Sotto said, "When you rely on an old showbiz gimmick to make money and got your facts all wrong, you will falter, for sure!"
Vic Sotto previously filed 19 counts of cyberlibel against Yap after a teaser for the film mentioned his name and accused him of rape.
In response, Yap stated that the materials he has released, or will release, were documented and publicized. He also requested the court to consolidate the cases filed against him by Vic Sotto. The court has asked for comments from Sotto's legal team regarding the matter.
Additionally, the court granted Yap's request for a gag order, prohibiting Vic Sotto's camp from publicly discussing the case related to the teaser of The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma.
"Meron na pong GAG ORDER sa lahat, di na kami pwede magpahayag tungkol sa merito ng kaso, para di magkaroon ng kaguluhan sa pag-iisip ng tao. Ito na po ang huling pagkakataon na magsasalita ako patungkol sa kaso at nawa’y malinaw po ito sa lahat ng sumusubaybay," Yap wrote in a lenghty Facebook post.
Yap previously shared in Facebook posts that his primary motivation for creating a film about Paloma’s life is their shared roots in Olongapo City. He expressed a desire to honor Paloma’s memory on the 40th anniversary of her death, noting that she remains a well-known figure in the city.
The hearing originally scheduled for January 15 has been moved to January 17.
