MANILA, Philippines — Director Darryl Yap’s controversial film, "The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma", is not under review, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) said in a statement released on Wednesday, January 29.
The MTRCB issued the clarification in response to a “false claim” saying that the movie is not under review due to a lack of requirements.
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According to the regulatory body, it cannot accept materials submitted because its legal affairs division requires the movie distributor to provide requirements such as a Certificate or Clearance of No Pending Criminal, Civil, or Administrative Case from the Regional Trial Court, the Department of Justice and the Office of the City Prosecutor.
“As part of the standard review process, the MTRCB Legal Affairs Division has formally communicated with the film's distributor, PinoyFlix Films and Entertainment Production, with regard to the missing requirements,” the MTRCB said.
The regulatory body also stated that every film is subject to a thorough and detailed evaluation to ensure compliance with the standards outlined in Presidential Decree No. 1986, or the law that governs the regulation and classification of motion pictures and television programs in the country.
“The MTRCB will not tolerate any misinformation or false narrative that seeks to discredit the Agency and undermine its mandate to protect the public interest,” MTRCB said.
“Any attempt to deliberately mislead the public will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” it added.
The case
Yap is currently facing defamation complaints filed by actor Vic Sotto due to his movie which allegedly portrayed the latter as a rapist.
Sotto filed 19 counts of cyberlibel raps against Yap at the Muntinlupa City Office of the City Prosecutor on January 9 seeking an amount of P35 million in damages.
In response, Yap argued that the film was already part of the public record and that he had secured permission from Paloma's family to tell her story.
On January 27, the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205 ordered Yap to take down the film teaser of the movie.
“Respondent Darryl Ray Spyke B. Yap and any person or entity acting on his behalf, including the production team of Vin Centiments, 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 RTC’s order read.