Gretchen Barretto Reacts: Claudine is Hallucinating

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Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Socialite-actress Gretchen Barretto denied the accusations of estranged sister Claudine, whose credibility she questioned in light of her supposed mental illness and alleged history of drug abuse.

In a statement given to ABS-CBN News on Monday, Gretchen said there is no truth to Claudine's claims that she called her names and insulted her children, supposedly in the presence of their father, actor Raymart Santiago.

"How do I debate with one who is clearly hallucinating and is under the influence of drugs and is suffering from severe mental illness? I am not one who would utter words such as 'baboy,' 'lechon,' 'laos' at 'magpakamatay ka na.' I never spoke ill or cursed Sabina nor Santino," Gretchen said.

Claudine, in an interview on "Buzz ng Bayan" aired Sunday, narrated that her feud with sisters Gretchen and Marjorie started in 2010 when they supposedly brought an ambulance to her house. Claudine recalled Gretchen asking a doctor to "do something," as she allegedly accused the younger Barretto of drug overdose.

A statement from Marjorie aired in the same episode of "Buzz ng Bayan" confirmed that she and Gretchen indeed had with them a doctor and an ambulance "from a very reputable hospital," supposedly at the request of their parents out of concern for Claudine.

Majorie said they learned from Claudine's personal assistant that she had finished all her anti-anxiety medications, supposedly prompting their parents to order that she be rushed to the hospital.

Gretchen and Marjorie, along with another Barretto sibling, JJ, brought up Claudine's alleged mental illness and drug abuse in court documents late last year, when they testified in support of Santiago in his ongoing legal battle with his wife.

Admitting she was hurt by speculation that she has a mental illness, Claudine stressed that her case is "mental torture," citing her psychiatrist.

"I have yet to hear Claudine and her mother and father speak the truth for once," Gretchen, who is currently in Thailand, said in her statement. "Their current situation and lost relationships should speak volumes of the kind of character and attitude they posses."

Echoing statements from her parents, who called on Gretchen and Marjorie to drop the Barretto surname last year, Claudine said she no longer wants to be affiliated with her eldest sister in any way and urged her to stop talking about their feud in interviews.

Referring to her mother, Gretchen, in her statement, added: "To the public, it shames me to say that Mrs. Inday Barretto is the kind of mother that I don't wish anyone would have."

"She has been our greatest pain and nightmare. She has taught us to stay away from her as far as possible in order to be safe and sane. May kasabihan, 'Ang kapatid ng magnanakaw ay sinungaling.'"

Mrs. Barretto has yet to answer ABS-CBN News' request for comment.