Gretchen: Claudine is hallucinating, suffering from mental illness

MANILA, Philippines – Gretchen Barretto denied accusations of bullying and name calling thrown by her younger sister Claudine Barretto.

In an interview with ABS-CBN's “Buzz ng Bayan” aired Sunday, May 11, Claudine called Gretchen “heartless,” saying her older sister bullied her and “started talking bad” about her children Sabina and Santino.

RELATED: Claudine on Marjorie - ' Pinatay ko na siya sa buhay ko'

The 34-year-old actress told “Buzz ng Bayan”: “The day that she started talking bad about my kids on the phone, on speaker and Raymart was there. And Raymart, bahala na siya sa Diyos niya, he was there when Gretchen started calling them names, when she said na, ‘Wala ka nang career, baboy ka, lechon, wala ka nang power.' Sabi niya, 'You will never be back in this industry. Magpakamatay ka na lang, Claudine'.”

But in a statement sent to ABS-CBN as aired on the news program “TV Patrol” on Monday, May 12, Gretchen denied Claudine's claims, saying she never called her names nor did she spoke ill of Sabina and Santino.

The statement goes: “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, and magpakamatay ka na.”

“I never spoke ill or cursed [at] Sabina nor Santino. I have yet to hear Claudine and her mother and her father speak the truth for once, their current situation and lost relationships should speak volumes of the kind of character and attitude they possess.”

According to Claudine in her “Buzz ng Bayan” interview, her feud with sisters Gretchen and Marjorie started when the two brought an ambulance and a doctor to her house.

“I asked my sister, I asked Gretchen, 'What is this?' Nakita ko kasi may straightjackets itong mga ito, e. And I said, 'What are you gonna get me for?' She just looked at her doctor and said, 'Do something!' Sabi ko sa kanila, 'Saan? Sa drug addiction o sa mental illness? Kasi hindi ko alam. And then sabi niya, 'Basta doc, nag-overdose yan!'," she said.

In a statement, also aired on “Buzz ng Bayan,” Marjorie confirmed the incident did happen, although she claimed it was their parents who begged her and Gretchen to rush Claudine to a hospital.

RELATED: Marjorie tells kids, 'I will protect you with all my might'

Marjorie's statement read: “Claudine, for your information, mom and dad begged us to rush to your house because your personal assistant told them you finished all your anti-anxiety medicine. We had with us a doctor and an ambulance from a very reputable hospital because we didn't want you to die, Claudine.” 

It added, “We were saving your life. Dad and mom, please don't deny the fact that the orders to rush her to a hospital came from both of you. We didn't have a straightjacket. That is a lie. Claudine, we were protecting you, we didn't want you to die, most especially in front of your children.”