MANILA, Philippines -- Inday Barretto said going public with the feud among her daughters was to address what had already been said about the brewing controversy, even before any of their family members confirmed the situation.
"The purpose of my coming out is because the feud was out, being talked about and getting uglier," the Barretto matriarch said in a statement exclusively sent to "Showbiz Inside Report."
"While it is a mother's duty to protect a child, it is also her duty to tell them when they are wrong," she said.
The latest feud to rock the Barretto family stemmed partly from comments on the image-sharing service Instagram, supposedly made by Gretchen, saying that her sister Claudine is not happy that their niece, Julia, is starting to make a name for herself in showbiz.
Julia, the second daughter of Marjorie Barretto, was recently introduced as an artist of Star Magic, the ABS-CBN talent management firm that launched Claudine to stardom until her transfer to another network in 2009.
Early this week, in response to reports on the alleged exchange on Instagram, Inday released a statement denying Claudine's supposed plans to "block" Julia's road to stardom.
In the same statement, Inday announced she has disowned Gretchen "in order to save one who has always been there for all, and with all of her love…Claudine."
Subsequent statements made by two other Barretto siblings, Joaquin and Gia, addressed the issue. The latter sided with her mother and youngest sister, while Joaquin sided with Gretchen, saying Claudine's "condition" should be addressed.
"Nevertheless," Inday said in her statement released Saturday, "the truth is all in the hands of God and people can tell the difference, until it sets us free."
"The one real judge though are the participants who know the real score. May God be with them," she said.
