Drop Barretto surname, dad tells Marjorie, Gretchen

MANILA - The patriarch of the Barretto family expressed his sadness over the controversy involving his children. Miguel Barretto said it hurts him that Claudine's siblings, of all people, have been supporting allegations that the actress is mentally ill. "Masakit. Ewan ko bakit nakikialam sila, away pamilya nilang dalawa 'yon, ewan ko bakit nakikialam sila," said Mr. Barretto, who was with Claudine during the press conference of the actress on Tuesday, referring to the actress' marital woes. "Mas marunong pa sila sa magulang nila. Pinakiusapan ko na sila, ayaw nilang makinig. Gusto nila ang masusunod ay sila. So it came to a point na we had to choose. Si Claudine ang pinili namin," he added. Asked what he believes is the reason why her children can't get along, Mr. Barretto said: "Well, it's either we are bad parents or we have bad children. Isa sa dalawa 'yun, only God knows." "Kung mali ang pagpapalaki sa children namin, I'm sorry, God will be the judge. Sila, they feel righteous on the outside, parang righteous sila, pero inside they are hypocrites and evil doings ang ginagawa nila," he said. Mr. Barretto said Claudine has been bullied by her siblings mainly because of her successful career as an actress. "Alam mo si Claudine, pinakamabait sa lahat sa kanila at saka binu-bully nila. Sa palagay ko, part of that is sibling rivalry because ang na-attain ni Claudine sa kanyang pagkabata ay hindi na na-attain ng mas matanda niyang kapatid na dalawa," he said, referring to his two daughters, actresses Marjorie and Gretchen Barretto. "As of now, I just want them to back off at iwanan ang away ni Raymart (Santiago, Claudine's estranged husband) and Claudine," he added. 'Change surnames if you want' Mr. Barretto also challenged Gretchen and Marjorie to drop the Barretto surname if they truly feel ashamed to be part of his family. "Kung kinakahiya nila ang Barrettong pangalan, huwag na nilang gamitin, magpalit sila. Gretchen can use Cojuangco kung papayagan siyang gamitin ang Cojuangco, I doubt kung papayag naman si Cojuangco. Marjorie can use Baldivia if she wants kung kinakahiya niya 'yung Barretto," he said. "Wala akong magagawa hindi naman sila nakikinig sa akin," he added. Mr. Barretto believes Claudine and her husband could still fix their problems if her other siblings would just stay away from them. "Sinabi namin maso-solve nila ito until pumasok 'yung mga kapatid. Then Mrs. Barretto had to expose them, masakit ang ginawa ni Mrs. Barretto, she had to expose her children. She has a past record na manira, I won't mention any name," he said.