Claudine on Gretchen: 'Ayoko siyang patulan'
MANILA -- Claudine Barretto said she would rather focus on her court battle than expend energy addressing those who are "complicating" her publicized tiff with husband Raymart Santiago.
The 34-year-old actress on Tuesday afternoon attended a court hearing on her petition for a permanent protection order against Santiago, her spouse of seven years.
Citing a gag order, both camps refused to detail the court proceedings, which lasted two hours, at the Marikina Regional Trial Court (RTC).
The petition stems from the alleged "physical, verbal, psychological, and even economical" abuse of Raymart against Claudine, as well as their two children, which the actor has repeatedly denied.
Shortly after the hearing, Claudine was asked to address a supposed comment made by her estranged sister, Gretchen, who said the custody of her kids should be solely entrusted to Santiago.
"No comment... Ayoko siyang patulan," a smiling Claudine said.
Gretchen has been "disowned" by her mother, Inday, over her long-waged feud with Claudine over the years. The latest tiff, which erupted in April, stemmed from Gretchen supposedly accusing Claudine of "blocking" their niece Julia's showbiz career.
Julia, the daughter of another Barretto sister Marjorie, is set to star in her own "teleserye." The young actress has said she wants to follow in the footsteps of Claudine, who has starred in several soap operas as a former Kapamilya actress.
'Basher' on Instagram?
Over the last week, Claudine once again made headlines when Gretchen implied on image-sharing service Instagram that her younger sister is behind the hateful comments made by one "basher" on her page.
Asked Tuesday if there is any truth to this, Claudine said, "Hay naku, hindi. Hindi talaga. Alam mo, I don't really care."
She went on to give a message to those who are "interfering" with her legal battle, saying she would rather give importance to those who are supporting her.
"Ang importante naman diyan 'yung mga taong nagmamahal sa akin. Pabayaan na natin 'yung mga taong gusto manggulo kasi bored 'yan sa buhay," she said.
"Ang mas maganda na lang, magdasal tayo. Mas maganda, mag-feeding program na lang, mag-charity work, kasi kakatapos lang ng bagyo, 'di ba? Magpasalamat na lang tayo na hindi binabagyo ang mga buhay nila. Kung wala rin namang maitutulong, huwag nalang sana makikialam," Claudine said.
Other family members
The "Mula sa Puso" star also thanked those family members who continue to support her, citing her parents in particular. At the height of the family feud early this year, another Barretto sister, Gia, sided with Claudine.
Marjorie and another Barretto sibling, Joaquin, are known to be in good terms with Gretchen, as both are frequently seen in Instagram photos shared by the latter on her page.
"Syempre, 'yung ibang pamilya ko pa, marami naman kami. And of course 'yung friends ko, very, very loyal and loving, so talagang parang pamilya ko na," Claudine said on Tuesday.
Thanking her fans, whom she refers to as "Claudinians," the actress continued, "Maraming, maraming salamat sa pagsuporta at dasal niyo para sa akin, sa mga anak ko, at hindi niyo ko dyina-judge sa kung anu-ano lang na naririnig niyo."
