Vico Sotto Reacts to the Pressing Issue Involving His Father
VICO SOTTO – The Pasig City Mayor has refused to comment on the legal issue involving his father, Vic Sotto, and Darryl Yap regarding the story of Pepsi Paloma.
In an interview with the Philippine Star, Vico was asked about his stance on the matter, especially since some believe the criticisms directed at his father also target him. Vico responded, “Tingin ko hindi ako dapat mag-comment dun.”
He clarified that it wasn’t because he lacked an opinion, but rather, he felt he didn’t have enough knowledge about the case to provide an informed comment. “Not because I don’t have an opinion, pero baka kulang ‘yung kaalaman ko, pati tungkol dun sa kaso, kulang,” he said. “Hindi naman naming siya napag-usapan, so baka hindi ako dapat mag-comment,” he added.
The issue between Vic Sotto and Darryl Yap began with the release of a teaser for Yap’s film “The Rap*sts of Pepsi Paloma” on January 1, 2025. In the teaser, Gina Alajar, portraying Charito Solis, confronts Rhed Bustamante, who plays Pepsi Paloma, questioning whether Vic Sotto had assaulted her, directly mentioning Vic’s name. This scene greatly concerned Vic, who felt alarmed about being associated with such a serious allegation without his approval. On January 9, 2025, Vic Sotto filed 19 counts of cyber libel against Yap, asserting that he was neither consulted nor informed about the use of his name.
Yap’s legal team, headed by Atty. Raymond Fortun, countered that they had sent a copy of the script to Vic for feedback, with multiple follow-up attempts, but did not receive a response. Fortun stated that they had aimed to get Vic’s input but had to proceed without it due to the absence of communication. In response to the situation, Vic also filed a legal request to prevent the release of promotional materials containing his personal information, leading the court to ask Yap for a formal reply.
Yap’s team, facing the public attention the case attracted, requested a gag order to stop further public statements from Vic’s side, emphasizing the need to protect Yap’s creative freedom and to safeguard the film’s progress.