Darryl Yap won’t appeal court’s takedown order on Pepsi Paloma trailer

Vic Sotto and Darryl Yap. Image: Instagram/@pauleenlunasotto; Facebook/Darryl Yap

The legal counsel of director-screenwriter Darryl Yap said his camp would not be appealing the decision of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC), which orders the removal of “The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma’s” trailer mentioning the name of Vic Sotto.

In a 20-page decision on Monday, January 27, Muntinlupa RTC Presiding Judge Liezel Aquiatan partially granted Sotto’s writ of habeas data petition against Yap regarding the movie’s controversial trailer which explicitly mentioned the “Eat Bulaga” host as the alleged perpetrator in the late Pepsi Paloma’s rape case.

“Respondent Darryl Ray Spyke B. Yap and any person or entity acting on his behalf, including the production team of VinCentiments, are ORDERED to delete, take down and remove the 26-second teaser video from online platforms, social media, or any other medium for having misused the collected data/information by presenting a conversation between two deceased individuals, which cannot be verified as having actually occurred,” the order stated.

Following the Muntinlupa court’s order, Atty. Raymond Fortun said in a text message to INQUIRER.net that Yap will not appeal the decision as it still allowed the director-screenwriter to release the movie in theaters.

Yap earlier announced that “The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma,” which stars Rhed Bustamante as Paloma, is already finished and ready for review. The movie is scheduled to premiere on February 5.

“Direk Darryl Yap will not be appealing the Decision. The Court has allowed the production and eventual release of the film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma. Other than to order the taking down of the teaser, the Decision does not enjoin any other act, or deletion, destruction, or rectification of erroneous data or information,” said Fortun.

Yap’s legal counsel, however, hoped that the court would continue to implement the gag order issued on the parties.

“We are asking that [the gag order] continue until the movie is shown,” he said.

Last January 13, the Muntinlupa RTC issued a gag order on Yap and Sotto’s camps, in relation to YAp’s motion to prevent the “Eat Bulaga!” host from further releasing information on the case in order to not unduly affect or preempt the showing of the movie.