Was Pepsi Paloma murdered?

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By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net US Bureau
12:45 am | Saturday, March 15th, 2014


Pepsi Paloma was only 14 years old when she and another actress named Guada Guarin reported that they were drugged in a bar and brought to a room at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City where they were “gang raped” by Joey De Leon, Vic Sotto and Richie D’Horsie, the comedian hosts of the popular TV show “Eat Bulaga!”

Pepsi Paloma reported her gang rape to her mother who contacted the police authorities where it made the headlines of the dailies. But the police would not file criminal charges against the rapists unless and until Pepsi Paloma hired a private prosecutor to pursue the criminal case. Pepsi sought the help of then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile who referred her to Rene Cayetano, the lead attorney of the ACCRA law offices, who agreed to represent Paloma for free.

But while Cayetano was preparing to file the formal complaint with the police authorities, Pepsi Paloma was suddenly reported missing. In 1982 martial law Philippines, no one got abducted or “salvaged” unless it was done by the Metrocom Intelligence Security Group (MISG) led by notorious human rights violators Col. Rolando Abadilla and Capt. Panfilo Lacson and they did not abduct Pepsi Paloma. Assigned the task of finding Pepsi Paloma, Abadilla and Lacson knew exactly where to find Pepsi Paloma.
They tracked down Bienvenido Mendoza known infamously as “Ben Ulo”and their suspicion proved accurate when they found Pepsi Paloma held captive by Ben Ulo. They knew he was the likely suspect because he was known as the main enforcer of the Castelo clan which is on the maternal side of the Sotto family.

After her rescue, Pepsi reported that Tito Sotto visited her and “coerced” her (by reportedly placing a pistol on the table in front of her) into signing an “affidavit of desistance” for her not to press rape charges against Sotto’s brother and his cohorts.

In exchange for the dismissal of the rape charges, Joey De Leon, Vic Sotto and Richie D’Horsie issued a public apology to Pepsi Paloma which was published in the People’s Journal on October13. 1982:

“We hope that you will not allow the error we have committed against you to stand as a stumbling block to that future which we all look forward to. We therefore ask you to find it in your heart to pardon us for the wrong which we have done against you.”

In the Philippines, people do not commit crimes, they only commit “errors”. It was simply an “error” for Joey, Vic and Richie to drug a 14-year old minor and then gang rape her.

If this “error” had occurred in the US, the perpetrators would have been charged and sentenced to the maximum allowed by law and that wouldn’t even be their worst fate. While in prison, they would likely be “gang raped” or even killed by convicts who rate child molesters and child rapists the lowest of the low, the most depraved of the depraved. If they somehow managed to survive their incarceration, they would be required to register as “sex offenders” in every place they move to for the rest of their sorry lives.

But there were no protests in the Philippines against the gang rape of Pepsi Paloma in 1982 and no calls for an independent investigation of the mysterious circumstances surrounding her death in 1985. No charges were ever filed against any of her rapists or abductors.

Instead, 57-year old Vic Sotto is the reigning box-office king of Philippine movies and has been linked romantically to a succession of beautiful actresses from Dina Bonnevie and Pia Guanio to Pauline Luna.

Joey de Leon was 36 years old when he participated in the gang rape of 14 year old Pepsi Paloma, who was young enough to be his daughter.

There were very few commentaries about the rape of Pepsi Paloma at the time but one was found by former Sen. Heherson Alvarez who posted it on his blog: “Tito Sotto’s talent in politics was first tested in October 1982 when he spearheaded the settlement for the rape case filed by sexy stars Pepsi Paloma and Guada Guarin against Tito’s younger brother Vic Sotto and his “Eat Bulaga” co-hosts Joey de Leon and Richie D’Horsie.” (Talk Show, Fundy C. Soriano).”

Vicente “Tito” Castelo Sotto parlayed his “talent in politics” into a successful run for Vice Mayor of Quezon City in 1988 followed by two successive terms in the Philippine Senate from 1992 to 2004 and then another senate election in 2010 and possible reelection 2016.

Would Tito Sotto have enjoyed his political success and Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon their commercial success if Pepsi Paloma had still been alive to serve as a constant reminder to the public about her gang rape when she was just 14? Who knows?

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