Buckle up, readers. We got a doozy for ya, and boy, do we mean a doozy.
It’s well known that former actress Marjorie Barretto has been locked in a bitter feud with older sister Gretchen and younger sister Claudine for years, but that feud hit a stunning new height — or shocking new low, depending on how you look at it — when it led to a reported public catfight right in front of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Oh, and by the way, it was at the wake of their recently deceased father, Miguel Barretto.
See, we told you it was a doozy.
Marjorie today alluded to the fray in an Instagram post today, writing: “All these years, I have kept my peace and I always chose to ignore all the LIES that my sisters spread about me and my children. But nothing can get lower than this. Giving false statements to the press, and twisting stories about what really happened in my Father’s wake is by far the most epic one.”
And what did happen at her father’s wake, you say? Why, we’re so, so glad you asked.
ABS-CBN News yesterday published a bombshell report alleging that on Wednesday night, President Duterte attended Miguel’s wake and urged Gretchen — one of his loyal supporters and a former actress — to “shake hands” with her sister Marjorie out of respect for their late father.
ABS-CBN‘s unnamed sources said Gretchen was willing to play along with the president’s peacemaking, but Marjorie refused, lashing out at Gretchen for wanting to reconcile “just because the president is here.”
A few minutes later, while Gretchen was speaking with some of the guests, one of her nieces reportedly lunged at her. Gretchen retaliated by pulling her niece’s hair, and the catfight escalated to the point that Duterte’s bodyguards had to break it up.
The falling out was so soap-operatic that even the famously foul-mouthed Duterte — who has literally claimed he executed criminals in cold blood — was supposedly shocked at the ferocity of the melee he had just witnessed.
Because of the feud, the search term “Barretto” is currently trending on Twitter.
Marjorie is now saying that she will give her side of the story about the reasons behind their feud — and what prompted that catfight — after Miguel has been buried. She also described Gretchen’s boyfriend as an evil man, but insinuated that she was not referring to her sister’s long-time partner, billionaire Tony Boy Cojuanco. (Uhhh, hello!)
“My sister’s boyfriend is powerful in a very bad way (and I don’t mean Tony Boy). And in speaking the truth I won’t be able to leave his name out. And to our dear President Duterte, thank you for being there for the family and sharing in our grief. My apologies that your name was dragged into this,” Marjorie said.
Adding fuel to the fire, Gretchen told ABS-CBN in a statement that everything was going well at their father’s wake “until Marjorie had a nervous breakdown.”
But that wasn’t Gretchen’s last word on the fight. In an Instagram post that appeared today, she wrote that her mother, Inday Barretto — with whom she has also been engaged in a long, drawn-out feud — has assured everyone that she will “tell all regarding our family feud” in due time.
She also attacked Marjorie and her reported boyfriend, former Caloocan City Congressman Recom Echiverri.
“AND AS TO MY BOYFRIEND WHO IS POWERFUL IN A BAD WAY (like you say) YES HE IS POWERFUL (in a good way, Not bad as you claimed. Your boyfriend is also POWERFUL & certainly IN A VERY BAD WAY, Countless corruption cases i was told, NOT TO MENTION, NUMEROUS MOLESTATION CASES, AM I CORRECT?”
The eldest Barretto sister also added a video purportedly showing what transpired that night, though nothing can be seen other than several people’s backs. (Booooo!)
As for Gretchen’s family feud ally, Claudine, the former soap opera actress made a cryptic Instagram post including the words “Are you proud of who you have become?”
Claudine then answered her own question, writing, “I hope not.”
So, why do you think Marjorie and Gretchen hate each other? Tell us your suspicions by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
Find all episodes of The Coconuts Podcast
