Vic Sotto

Early life and background

Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto was born on April 28, 1954, to Marcelino Antonio "Nonong" Ojeda Sotto and Herminia Castelo Sotto. He has three brothers namely Val Sotto (b. 1945), Tito Sotto (b. 1948) and Marcelino Antonio Sotto Jr. (b. 1951). He finished his secondary education at Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

Sotto lived for many years in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. In 2017, he was honored as the Ang Natatanging Anak ng Kabanatuan (ANAK) by the city government during the annual Banatu Festival, in recognition of his contributions to the Philippine entertainment industry. The award held special meaning for Sotto, who shared in his speech that he spend half of his life in Cabanatuan.

Career

Early career

He started his career as a folk singer and guitarist. During these years, Sotto was also the lead vocalist of the disco funk band VST & Company. He produced such songs as "Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko", "Rock Baby Rock", and "Kung Sakali".

He joined his brothers Tito and Val in the early 1970s gag show OK Lang under IBC 13. This is where he met another comedian, Joey de Leon, who invited the brothers to join him. The trio of Tito, Vic and Joey (TVJ) was thus formed, casting in Iskul Bukol, TVJ (Television's Jesters), Rock and Roll 2000 and hosting Eat Bulaga!.

Tito, Vic and Joey

In 1976, the Sotto brothers Tito, Vic and Val were invited by former OK Lang co-star Joey de Leon to co-host an episode of GMA Network's late afternoon variety show Discorama hosted by Bobby Ledesma. Only Tito and Vic accepted de Leon's invitation. The newly formed trio began to do comedy newscast segments interspersed with Top 40 hit-song parodies. Originally, the trio's appearance was supposed to be a one-off invitation as Discorama was set to be axed but after getting good feedback from the viewers and ratings were high, the show was given a new lease on life by GMA management. The trio was later invited to become part of the noontime show Student Canteen as they released 12 albums based on their Discorama Tough Hits segment.

The sitcom Iskul Bukol that gave them nationwide fame as comedians. Soon after, other TV and movie offers came knocking on the trio's door.

In 1979, Tito, Vic and Joey began hosting the noontime show Eat Bulaga!, which was pitted against the more established Student Canteen. Not long after, Eat Bulaga! toppled Student Canteen from the ratings. The trio was still active on both Holy Week Dramas every Lenten Season and also on comedy variety show on Eat Bulaga! until their departure from the show 2023.

TVJ–TAPE Inc. dispute

On May 31, 2023, Tito, Vic, and Joey announced their departure from TAPE Inc., the producer of the longtime variety show Eat Bulaga! They cited the refusal of the company's new management to allow the show to go live as a potential reason for their departure. Not long after, the other hosts and mainstays known as the "Dabarkads", as well as majority of the show's production staff, resigned as well.

In June 2023, TVJ announced their move to TV5, where they began hosting a new variety show called E.A.T. that aired on July 1 until January 6, 2024, when the show brought back the original title Eat Bulaga!. It also made both the show and their returns to RPN, which using the Channel 9 frequency previously held by the show second broadcaster (and Student Canteen original broadcaster), ABS-CBN, from 1958 to 1969.

Later career

In the last three decades, he has done sitcoms and television shows for three networks, ABS-CBN, GMA Network and TV5 (most of which were for GMA).

Other ventures

Endorsements

Sotto is a product endorser. In 2024, he was the first and only official brand ambassador of PlayTime PH, a licensed online gambling corporation.

Personal life

Sotto married actress Dina Bonnevie in 1982 and had two children, one of whom is actor Oyo Boy Sotto. The married couple broke up in 1986 before their marriage was annulled in 1992. Actress Coney Reyes joined Eat Bulaga! in 1982 as Chiqui Hollman's replacement. During her hosting stint, Coney and Vic had a relationship and had a son, politician Vico Sotto. Angela Luz was a one-time leading lady for Vic in the television series Okay Ka, Fairy Ko when they got together sometime after he broke up with Coney Reyes. Luz gave birth to Vic Sotto's fourth child.

He also had relationships with his fellow Eat Bulaga! co-hosts, Christine Jacob in the early 1990s and Pia Guanio in the late 2000s, but both ended in breakups. Jacob quit hosting Eat Bulaga! after ending the relationship, and Guanio stayed in the show.

Eventually, he married actress Pauleen Luna, who is also an Eat Bulaga! co-host. Their age gap is thirty-four years. They were married on January 30, 2016, at Saint James the Great Parish Church, in Ayala Alabang, and have two daughters.

Controversies

Pepsi Paloma gang rape case

In 1982, the 15-year-old actress Pepsi Paloma accused Sotto and fellow comedians Joey de Leon and Richie D'Horsie of gang raping and taking photos of her on June 21 in a room at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City. On July 31, Paloma's manager Rey Dela Cruz lodged a formal complaint with Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. On August 18, Paloma filed charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness against the three television personalities before the Quezon City fiscal's office. The crime of rape at the time, carried the death penalty in the Philippines, and to prevent his brother from being sent to the electric chair, Tito Sotto quickly went to see Paloma while she was still securing the services of attorney Rene Cayetano. According to Paloma, Tito Sotto pressured her into signing an "Affidavit of Desistance" to drop the rape charges against his brother and cohorts—Tito Sotto had allegedly placed a pistol on the table in front of Paloma when he went to talk to her.

In exchange for the dismissal of the charges of rape, Vic Sotto, de Leon and D'Horsie issued a public apology to Paloma:

Despite the suspects' earlier apology, Tito Sotto has maintained his position against any involvement in the whitewashing of the rape case and alleges that the scandal was a gimmick by Paloma's party for publicity. Again, in spite of a live apology issued to the people, Sotto said that he was not involved as a perpetrator in the rape of Paloma and he denied using his position in government to influence the court decision. Sotto became Vice Mayor in Quezon City in 1988 before being elected as a Senator in 1992. In 2018, Sotto requested The Philippine Inquirer to remove published articles available online mentioning the Pepsi Paloma Case, claiming them to be "fake news" and damaging to his current reputation as a Senator.

In May 1985, Paloma was found dead in an apparent suicide, though evidence suggests this was actually murder in order to prevent her from testifying against Sotto in court. Dela Cruz was murdered years later.

In January 2025, a Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court granted Sotto's petition and issued a writ of habeas data. The prerogative writ ordered the censorship of portions of the Pepsi Paloma promotional teaser trailer and at the same time required respondent Darryl Yap to submit an answer. On Cristy FerMinute, lawyer Enrique "Buko" V. Dela Cruz, Jr. said that Sotto's daughter was bullied in school because of Yap's alleged defamation. Sotto thereafter filed 19 cyber libel cases against Yap with the Muntinlupa Court, regarding the showing of The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma teaser trailer which mentioned Sotto's name. On January 24, the Court ordered Yap to delete his 26-second teaser video from all online video platforms and social media.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. Javier, Kristian Eric. (March 21, 2023). "Get to know the real names of your favorite celebrities". [[GMA Network News]].
2. (April 29, 2023). "Vic Sotto, tinamaan ng COVID bago mag-69th birthday".
3. Galvez, Manny. (February 16, 2017). "Bossing Vic named Outstanding Cabanatueño". The Philippine Star.
4. (February 6, 2024). "The Butcher, The odyssey of Channel 9". Pikapika.ph.
5. (August 10, 2024). "Vic Sotto on his MMFF film and new endorsement". [[Manila Bulletin]].
6. (July 18, 2024). "Kilalanin si Jed Salgado Llanes, ang fiance ni Paulina Sotto". [[GMA Integrated News]].
7. (January 31, 2016). "Vic Sotto weds Pauleen Luna: A promise of forever". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
8. (January 26, 2024). "The growing family of Pauleen Luna and Vic Sotto". [[GMA Integrated News]].
9. (May 6, 2017). "Vic Sotto's big news: wife Pauleen Luna pregnant". [[ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs]].
10. (September 29, 1982). "It Hurts Only When They Laugh". Who.
11. (March 5, 2014). "The rape of Pepsi Paloma". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
12. (November 3, 2012). "Jimmy Savile and our own 'lovable louts'". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
13. (October 13, 1982). "_". People's Journal.
14. De Jesus, Topel V.. (March 3, 2016). "Tito Sotto denies whitewashing Pepsi Paloma rape case". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
15. (March 4, 2016). "Tito Sotto: Pepsi Paloma scandal was a 'gimmick'". [[ABS-CBN News]].
16. "Sotto: Pepsi Paloma rape stories are 'fake news'".
17. (July 5, 2018). "INQUIRER.net statement on the Pepsi Paloma stories".
18. (June 18, 2018). "Beware The Streisand Effect: a Short Explainer for Sen. Tito Sotto".
19. (March 15, 2014). "Was Pepsi Paloma murdered?". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
20. (July 20, 2017). "I am the son of a dead '80s bold star.". [[Esquire (magazine).
21. (January 10, 2025). "Muntinlupa RTC orders Darryl Yap to answer Vic Sotto's habeas data petition". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
22. (January 10, 2025). "Vic Sotto pinalagan si Darryl Yap dahil 'binu-bully' na sa eskwelahan si Tali". [[Inquirer Bandera]].
23. (January 9, 2025). "Actor Vic Sotto files cyber libel case against film producer over controversial trailer". [[The Manila Times]].
24. (January 27, 2025). "Court orders Darryl Yap to take down Pepsi Paloma teaser video". ABS-CBN News.
25. [https://www.pep.ph/photos/910/the-38th-box-office-entertainment-awards-part-2 "The 38th Box-Office Entertainment Awards (Part 2)"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 19, 2021 . ''Pep.ph''. Retrieved May 24, 2014.)
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27. [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/entertainment/06/24/10/abs-cbn-big-winner-gmmsf-entertainment-awards "ABS-CBN big winner at GMMSF Entertainment Awards"] {{Webarchive. link. (January 4, 2015 . ''ABS-CBN News''. Retrieved May 21, 2014.)
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29. [http://www.pep.ph/news/33760/this-week-in-photo-news/1/1#focus "Vice Ganda named Phenomenal Box-Office Star; Derek Ramsay is Box-Office King while Anne Curtis and Cristine Reyes share Box-Office Queen title"] {{Webarchive. link. (July 1, 2015 . ''Pep.ph''. Retrieved May 20, 2014.)
30. [http://starcinema.abs-cbn.com/latest-news/star-cinema-named-most-popular-film-producer "Star Cinema named most popular film producer"] {{Webarchive. link. (May 2, 2014 . ''Star Cinema''. Retrieved May 19, 2014.)