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By Ricky T. Gallardo
PERHAPS Easter has its way of
allowing people to reflect and evaluate themselves. Even in the
scandal and intrigue laden world of Philippine show business, some
good news do unravel.
First on the list is the
unexpected meeting of controversial sisters Gretchen and Claudine
Barretto who have been at war with each other for some years now.
For those who do not have a clue, the falling apart of these two
beautiful sisters involved their other sister Marjorie and her
husband Dennis Padilla, a comedian.
Sooner before they could even
patch up the differences, the war was blown into catastrophic
proportions by the entertainment media and everyone in the Barretto
family was up against poor Gretchen, who can be sharp and feisty if
she wants to be.
Easter Tuesday, Claudine was
early for a meeting so she decided to take her time and drop by the
PriceSmart branch at The Fort to buy stuff for her adopted baby girl
Sabina. Unknowingly, Gretchen was also there getting her groceries.
Per Claudine’s story, it was Gretchen who saw her first and when
they finally realized that everything meant to happen that day, they
simply were locked in a tight embrace and emotions started to flow
instantaneously.
“Everything happened so
fast,” recalls Claudine, adding, “there was really no time for
words. I guess God has planned it to happen and in a situation like
that, there really was no need for words.”
Claudine admits that she had big
sigh of relief afterwards, but clarifies that it was simply an
initial step to the long overdue reconciliation. “We did not have
the chance to talk, but hopefully, it will be the beginning of
better days for both of us, for all of us,” she intones, with so
much hope in her heart.
Claudine is on her pregnancy’s
second trimester, and come July, her baby boy with actor-husband
Raymart Santiago will be born. “We are planning to name him
Rodrigo, he will have a second name but we are keeping it under
wraps for the meantime,” she beams.
Claudine is very happy that this
thorn has been removed from her. In fact, the latest we heard form
Claudine is that the former-feuding sisters have started to send
text messages to each other.
Actually this is the second major
reconciliation for Claudine in recent months, the first of which was
her court case versus a lady editor of a show-biz oriented magazine
that eventually ended in a peaceful settlement.
Before she goes on her maternity
leave, Claudine has just wrapped up work for her new TV drama
titled, Walang Kapalit, which pairs her anew with Piolo Pascual.
Can’t wait to be dad
Meanwhile, Claudine’s husband
Raymart Santiago is also ecstatic that he has a new show on
television. A few weeks ago, Santiago felt bad that his long-running
comedy sitcom Lagot Ka . . . Isusumbong Kita got the ax.
Santiago plays one of two lead
actors in the latest comedy show of GMA7 titled Who’s your Daddy
now? Santiago explained that he established really close friendships
with the cast of Lagot Ka and he felt really sad when he learned
that the show was going to end. He says that he has matured a lot
and is more accepting of reality.
“The show meant a lot because
it saw me through many of my life’s special stages. With the
income I was getting from Lagot Ka, I was able to save and build the
house where Claudine and I eventually moved to so we can start our
family,” he adds.
In the new sitcom, Santiago plays
Mario who coowns an events/ party planning company. The lives of
Mario and Peter (played by Joey Marquez) take on a different turn
when a young girl suddenly shows up and claims that either one of
them is her real father. Realizing that they both shared an intimate
past with the girl’s mother, Mario and Peter decide to take the
girl in and agree to face the tasks and responsibilities of being
her ‘daddies.’
Santiago said that he’s so
excited to become a daddy in real life with the forthcoming baby
boy. “I just need to learn how to hold a newborn baby, since I’m
kinda scared because babies are so fragile. Actually with Sabina, I
didn’t get the chance to carry her as an infant because she was
almost a year old when she came,” he shares.
Asked about his comment on the
serendipitous meeting between his wife and his sister-in-law,
Santiago beams, “I’m so happy. That’s a first big step. I
believe there’s Divine intervention because things do not just
happen for no reason. This is what I call wonderful new
beginnings!”
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