Actor Raymart Santiago has broken his silence following the explosive interview of Inday Barretto, mother of actress Claudine Barretto, in which she made a series of allegations against him.
Through his legal counsels, Atty. Howard Calleja and Atty. Katrin Jessica Distor-Guinigundo, Raymart released an official statement on Sunday, October 20, denying all accusations and calling them “untruthful and slanderous.”
“It is very unfortunate that Mrs. Barretto opted to resort to publicity to spread this untruthful and slanderous narrative about our client and his marriage with Ms. Claudine Barretto (Ms. Claudine), who has likewise repeatedly exploited social media and sought recourse through trial by publicity to discredit our client’s name and reputation,” the statement read.
According to his legal team, the root of Mrs. Barretto’s outrage allegedly stems from the sale of a conjugal property that Claudine carried out three years ago without Raymart’s knowledge or consent.
“It appears that the root of Mrs. Barretto’s outrage is the conjugal land sold by Ms. Claudine three years ago absent the knowledge and consent of our client. Our client refuses to partake in any dispute involving, or irregularity Ms. Claudine and her cohorts may have committed,” they stated.
Raymart’s lawyers also reminded Claudine, her family, and her representatives about an existing gag order issued by the Family Court, Branch 5 of Mandaluyong City as early as September 20, 2023.
“To reiterate, we remind Ms. Claudine, her family, and agents that there is an existing Gag Order issued by the Family Court, Branch 5 of Mandaluyong City, as early as September 20, 2023, which our client has faithfully complied with, having kept his peace all these years,” the lawyers said.
“It is his hope that Ms. Claudine, her family, and agents would do the same, out of respect for the courts of justice and more importantly, for the sake of their children.”
They ended the statement with a warning that any future defamatory remarks will be dealt with through legal means.
“Finally, let this be a final warning that any utterances in contravention of the law shall be dealt with before the appropriate forum to protect our client’s rights and to preserve his interests.”
The response comes after the viral interview of Mrs. Barretto with Ogie Diaz on ‘Ogie Diaz Inspires’, which garnered over 870,000 views and thousands of comments from netizens sympathizing with Claudine.
Many online users expressed pity for the actress and wished for reconciliation within the Barretto family.
“Laging nasa huli ang pagsisisi for not getting a prenup before getting married,” one comment read.
As of writing, Claudine Barretto has not issued a response to Raymart’s legal statement.
