TWO Saturdays ago, on its 18th anniversary special ay umere sa Startalk ang panayam kay Claudine Barretto tungkol sa kanyang pagkaka-miss sa kanyang Ate Marjorie, damay na rin ang kanyang mga pamangkin sa kapatid.
Ipinahayag ‘yon ni Claudine minus such legal pronouncements patungkol sa kanila ng kanyang estranged husband na si Raymart Santiago. Her litany, for the most part, meandered on how Claudine wished na maayos na sana ang kanilang sisterly relationship with Claudine.
There was hardly any mention of Gretchen.
Ang naturang event na ‘yon—so we heard—was not funded by Claudine herself. It had to take her fans to mount it mula sa kanilang mga bulsa in support of their idol.
As we write this, magdadalawang linggo na ang panawagang ‘yon ni Claudine, na malinaw na isang peace offering. Moreso, it was Claudine’s subtle way of making amends with Marjorie, in short, siya na itong nagpapakumbaba.
Tough luck for Claudine, to this day ay walang anumang tugon si Marjorie sa drama ng nakababatang kapatid. Marjorie’s sheer silence is even more alarming, as her feeling towards her younger sister has turned from animosity to indifference.
Mas nakababahala ang ganitong pananahimik ni Marjorie sa gitna ng pag-iingay ni Claudine. After all, so many hurting words have been said, ngayon pa kakambyo si Claudine? For what purpose? Para siya ang lumitaw na underdog while her sisters are pictured to be mean and unforgiving?
Sa totoo lang, the public is more convinced that Claudine is not, after all, a person worth the hate sa mga “kagagahan” that she has caused upon herself. Bagkus, nakaaawa ang kanyang kalagayan in the public eye, na matapos niyang siraan at abandunahin ang kanyang mga kadugo, here she is na walang inilayo sa isang pulubi na nanlilimos ng pagmamahal mula sa mga taong kanyang sinaktan.
This girl is fat with her body, yet malnourished in soul.
Ronnie Carrasco III