Claudine Barretto, Raymart Santiago are now ‘friends’

Kapamilya actress Claudine Barretto with estranged husband Raymart Santiago and two kids Sabina and Santino (Photo from Barretto’s official Instagram account)

MANILA – Kapamilya actress Claudine Barretto shared that she and estranged husband Raymart Santiago are now good friends, with both confirming the status of their relationship.

In Barretto’s interview on ABS-CBN’s talk show “Aquino & Abunda Tonight,” she shares how she has called Santiago before the show started and has clarified the real status of their relationship.

“Tinawagan ko siya. Sinend ko muna ‘yung mga [interview] questions. Sabi niya, ‘Kaya mo ‘yan.’ Tapos thumbs up. Tapos tumawag siya. Tapos sabi ko, ‘Mart, questions lang, friends ba tayo?’ Tawa siya nang tawa. Tapos sabi niya, ‘Oo, friends na.’” Barretto said.

(I called him. I first sent the questions. He said, ‘You can do it.’ Then he gave a thumbs up. After that, he called. And I said, ‘Mart, just a question, are we friends?’ He laughed and laughed.  Then he said, ‘Yes, [we’re] friends now.’)

“Kasi hindi ko alam kung ano isasagot. Civil ba o friends na? Tapos, oo friends na daw. So, friends na kami,” she added.

(Because I didn’t know what to answer. Civil or friends? And then, yes [he said we’re] friends now. So, we’re friends.)

It can be recalled that Barretto and Santiago have separated in 2013. Their controversial separation even involved legal charges filed against each other with regards to the custody of their children and domestic violence.

Fortunately, the estranged couple has been able to settle their rift later on for the sake of their two children Sabina and Santino.

“Talagang pinaupo niya (Judge Geraldine Macaraeg) kami at pinaintindi na, ‘Hindi tama itong ginagawa ninyo. You have to stop it’… After that, our relationship is better na. Wala kaming magagawa. We still have a relationship for our children,” Barretto recalled.

(She really had a sit-down talk with us and made us understand that, ‘What you’re doing is not right. You have to stop it’… After that, our relationship became better. We can’t do anything else. We still have a relationship for our children.)

Barretto, however, is firm on what she thinks went wrong not only with Raymart but with other persons she had issues with.

“Siguro, ‘yung I allowed myself talaga to be taken advantage of… And then, ‘yung I think ‘yung mga hindi tama, yung betrayal, yung lahat ng pasakit na nagawa ng lahat ng mga nakasakit sa akin, pati pamilya ko,” she said.

(Maybe, it’s that I allowed myself to be taken advantage of… And then, those which I think we’re wrong, the betrayal, all the hurts people inflicted on me and to my family.)

Recently, Barretto and Santiago are taking steps to repair their broken relationship and are spending time together with their two kids.