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 October 13. 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.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 06:15:31 +0000
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