Born Delia Dueñas Smith, Pepsi Paloma was born on March 11, 1966 to Lydia Dueñas, a native of Northern Samar and Kenneth Smith, an American letter carrier who abandoned his family when the children were young.

(Delia Dueñas Smith AKA Pepsi Paloma)

At the age of 14 years old, she was approached by Tita Ester, a talent scout who later introduced her to Rey dela Cruz for a possible film career. Dela Cruz was at the time a top-rated talent manager in the country. It is through the two that she found her way into the limelight.

In 1981, she made her debut in the movie Brown Emmanuelle. She was given the stage name Pepsi Paloma and was promoted as one of the members of the so-called “soft drink beauties” together with Coca Nicolas and Sarsi Emmanuelle. They were part of a niche locally known as “Bomba”, and were essentially considered soft-core adult film starlets.

After appearing in a handful of films, Paloma was involved in a highly-publicized scandal when she accused actors Vic Sotto (Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto), Joey de Leon (Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr.), and Richie D’Horsie (Ricardo Reyes) of rape. According to Paloma, on June 21, 1982, she and fellow actress Guada Guarin were drugged and then brought to a room at the Sulô Hotel in Quezon City, where they were sexually abused. They claimed that pictures were taken. According to Paloma’s testimony, de Leon first molested her and Guarin; after which, Paloma was gang-raped by Sotto, de Leon, and Reyes. Guarin stated she witnessed the rape.

Paloma survived the ordeal and tried to take the men to court. She filed charges of rape and acts of lasciviousness against the three television personalities before the Quezon City fiscal’s office on August 18, 1982.

If convicted of the charges, the three men would have faced execution by electric chair.

Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Ricardo Reyes were hosts of “Eat Bulaga”, a popular noontime show that debuted in national TV in 1979. The three main hosts were Vic, Joey, and Vic’s older brother Tito (Vicente Castelo Sotto III). “Tito, Vic, and Joey” is a cultural phenomenon.

(Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, pre Eat Bulaga days)

Tito Sotto became involved: He allegedly compelled Paloma to drop the charges by intimidating her. Paloma claimed that he met with her to have her sign an “Affidavit of Desistance,” and that he produced a gun and placed it on the table. The affidavit was signed – although some newspaper reports stated that it was Paloma’s mother who signed the document on her behalf.

Until this affidavit was signed, Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Ricardo Reyes gave interviews denying the rape. They claimed it was a gimmick concocted by Paloma’s manager, and filed libel charges on Paloma and Guarin. According to a now – unpublished article by The Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was also around this time that Paloma was reported missing, and was found being held captive by convicted felon Bienvenido “Ben Ulo” Mendoza. Despite his arrest and confession, there is no record that Ben Ulo was ever charged with any crime connected with the abduction of Pepsi Paloma.

Ben Ulo was serving a life sentence for the June 15, 1953 murder of Manuel P. Monroy who was a prosecution witness against then Secretary of National Defense Oscar Castelo (uncle of Vic and Tito Sotto). The Philippine Supreme Court affirmed his murder conviction on May 30, 1964 but it is not certain how much time he actually spent in prison.

After Tito Sotto’s intervention, however, Vic Sotto, de Leon, and Reyes were let off the hook.

Three months after the alleged rape, in an apparent change of heart, the trio went on to admit that they did something wrong. They issued a public apology. Their statement was broadcast on live TV and was published in The People’s Journal on October 13, 1982. They admitted to an “error”, and said they wanted to move on:

Pepsi Paloma did not pursue her complaint and the case did not go to court.

On May 31, 1985, Paloma was found dead in her apartment, in an apparent suicide by hanging. According to the investigation by the police, the rape case was one factor in her suicide. A diary, citing monetary problems and anxieties over her relationship with her mother and her boyfriend, was found in her bedroom by investigators, although the authenticity of the journal entries have been questioned, especially by her manager who claimed she was actually earning well.

It was revealed that she was 17, instead of 19 – meaning that her alleged rape had occurred when she was 14.

Tito Sotto became Vice Mayor of Quezon City in 1988. He has served as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines 1992 to 2016, Senate President 2016-2022. Vic Sotto remains an actor, and has been tagged as the Philippine Box Office King; he is father to Pasig city mayor, Vico Sotto (Victor Ma. Regis Nubla Sotto). Joey de Leon remains an actor, and continues to host the noontime show he starred in with Vic Sotto and Tito Sotto, Eat Bulaga. Ricardo Reyes was typecast as a sidekick to the “Tito, Vic, and Joey” trio for most of his career, playing bit roles; he died in 2015.

In 2018, Tito Sotto requested The Philippine Inquirer to remove published articles available online mentioning the Pepsi Paloma Case damaging to his reputation as a Senator.

Years after the alleged rape, Rey de la Cruz, Pepsi Paloma’s manager, was murdered.