THE Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) has directed filmmaker Darryl Yap to take down the teaser for his upcoming movie which mentioned the name of host-actor Vic Sotto.
Judge Liezel Aquiatan of Muntinlupa RTC Branch 205 issued the order after partially granting Sotto’s petition for a writ of habeas data. The court found that Yap had “misused collected data/information by presenting a conversation between two deceased individuals, which cannot be verified as having actually occurred.”
Despite the takedown order, Judge Aquiatan allowed Yap to continue the production and eventual release of the film, citing artistic freedom and public interest. She noted that the film is based on the life story of actress Pepsi Paloma and that Yap had secured consent from Paloma’s family members, using public records like newspaper clippings and footage.
The court, however, withheld an explanation for its decision on the teaser’s removal, stating that doing so might spoil the film for potential viewers.
In his petition, Sotto sought the removal of all promotional materials, teaser videos, and other content related to the film that contained his personal information. He also asked the court to bar Yap from disseminating any further content tied to the movie on all platforms.
Sotto’s legal counsel, Atty. Enrique Dela Cruz, welcomed the court’s decision and called for the immediate removal of the teaser and related promotional materials.
Dela Cruz added that their camp will now focus on pursuing the 19 counts of cyberlibel filed against Yap.
