Marjorie Barretto fired back at her sister Gretchen for blaming her for the heart attack of their father that led to his death.
In an exclusive interview with broadcast journalist Karen Davila and aired over TV Patrol, Marjorie did as she promised that she will talk once their father, Miguel Barretto, was laid to rest. The Barretto family patriarch died last October 15 at the age of 82 and was cremated four days after.
Last week, the Barrettos — one of Philippine showbiz’s most prominent families — raised a storm of controversy following reports on two incidents of heated confrontation at the wake of the family patriarch.
The first incident transpired on October 16, reportedly involving Gretchen and Marjorie, plus other family members. It was witnessed by no less than President Duterte, who was also at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig to pay his last respects.
The following night, October 17, another confrontation allegedly erupted and this time between Majorie and Claudine.
The fight has since spilled over to social media, with the feuding sisters defending themselves and throwing accusations at each other on their Instagram accounts.
“Marjorie did not invite my mom to the gathering, and that’s what caused my dad’s attack,” Gretchen said on her Instagram as a reply to a commenter who noticed that their mother Estrella “Inday” Barretto was absent from photos of the late patriarch’s recent birthday celebration.
During the TV interview, Marjorie strongly denied this allegation, saying that by pinning the blame on her, “It goes to show that Gretchen does not care about the family at all. My father died of acute respiratory failure. He did not have a heart attack.”
She further recalled, “The day that I gave him a birthday lunch in the house, that was the day we rushed him to the hospital because of violent chills. Chills. Hindi po heart attack, Gretchen. Dapat alam din ni Claudine ito, but obviously hindi, so… Violent chills. So yun pala, may sepsis na ang father ko, severe pneumonia, high fever and all of that so he did not die of an attack.”
‘Not a bad daughter‘
Marjorie also disputed Gretchen’s claim that she wasn’t in good terms with their mother Inday. Gretchen earlier told a commenter on her IG account that their mom was not invited to their dad’s 82nd birthday celebration held at Marjorie’s house.
“Gretchen should stop diverting. My mom is always invited. Why wouldn’t she be invited? She is my mother and she is the wife of my father, and we are in good terms. If I did not want my mother in the birthday celebration of my father, I wouldn’t have done it in my house,” Marjorie said.
“Now, my dad claimed to ask that my mom was ill that day that’s why she was not able to join us, which is not unusual. There are birthdays that she really doesn’t go because she’s ill. My mom’s 82 years old.”
Marjorie decried being portrayed as the “bad daughter.” “Now when we talk about her painting me as a bad daughter, I will put my foot down. I am a good daughter. I am present every Sunday, every family event. I throw them parties, I serve them. I visit my family, okay.”
She suggested that it was Gretchen instead who has not been the good daughter. “Speaking of not inviting your mother to your house, Gretchen, for more than 25 years, has never invited my parents to her house, any of her mansions and rest houses, not even to their garage. Okay. So don’t paint me as the bad daughter. Don’t paint me as the bad daughter, Gretchen.”
Open to reconciliation?
Isn’t she getting tired of what’s happening, Marjorie was asked. Is she still open to forgiveness and reconciliation with her sister? Their feud will be five years in December, she earlier said.
Marjorie said, “I have to make this clear that what Gretchen is doing to me is not only me. She does this to all her friends, all my friends, family, parents, everything.”
“This evilness has to stop. It has to stop,” she said.
Marjorie threw the question back at her sister. “Kelan ka ba mapapagod? When will you start healing, so you can stop hurting everybody. I pray for healing, I sincerely pray for healing.”
She said that had Gretchen visited their father when he was still alive, or came to the wake without the President and the cameras, she would be the first one to embrace her.
“I would have hugged her. I would have led her to my father and I swear that on my children’s lives. I am for reconciliation, just not an orchestrated one.”
Gretchen responds
Meanwhile, Gretchen took to Instagram to counter what her sister said during the interview.
She said, “I was not allowed to go to the hospital because of your outbursts and because there will be more tension for me to see EX MAYOR ECHIVERRI (who Claudine will file a molestation case against right after the 40th day).”
During the interview, Marjorie had admitted that the father of her youngest child is former Caloocan City mayor and representative Enrico “Recom” Echiverri.
“The attack of your father, as you say happened, as told to me by our mother is because you ARRANGED a lunch party for dad to spite mom for being on Claudine’s side. You did not invite mom & that caused a huge dispute between our parents & the rest is history.”
Gretchen also denied that her going to wake was staged. “FYI, RELAX YOU ARE RADIATING WITH SO MUCH ANGER & ENVY & HIGHLY PARANOID. I DO NOT HAVE THE POWER TO ORCHESTRATE A GRAND ENTRANCE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES. PRRD WAS KIND ENOUGH TO OFFER TO SEE ME AT THE WAKE & only then, I was hoping you COULD CONTROL YOUR ANGER & overwhelming FEAR OF THE TRUTH.”
