ACTOR Raymart Santiago has broken his silence following Inday Barretto’s explosive interview, where she accused him of physically and sexually abusing her daughter, actress Claudine Barretto, during their marriage.
Through his lawyers Atty. Howard Calleja and Atty. Katrin Jessica Distor-Guinigundo, Santiago called the claims “untruthful and slanderous,” saying Inday had resorted to “trial by publicity” to damage his name.
“It is very unfortunate that Mrs. Barretto opted to resort to publicity to spread this untruthful and slanderous narrative about our client and his marriage with Ms. Claudine Barretto,” his camp said in a statement released after the interview aired on Ogie Diaz’s YouTube channel on Oct. 20.
The lawyers also reminded the Barretto family that a Gag Order from the Mandaluyong Family Court has been in effect since 2023, which Santiago said he has “faithfully complied with.”
“It is his hope that Ms. Claudine, her family, and her agents would do the same, out of respect for the courts of justice and, more importantly, for the sake of their children,” the statement read.
Santiago’s team further claimed that Inday’s renewed anger may have stemmed from a dispute involving conjugal land allegedly sold by Claudine three years ago without the actor’s knowledge or consent.
“Our client refuses to partake in any dispute involving, or irregularity Ms. Claudine and her cohorts may have committed,” the lawyers added, warning that any further defamatory remarks “shall be dealt with before the proper forum.”
In her tell-all with Ogie Diaz, Inday gave disturbing details about what she described as her daughter’s years of abuse under the actor. She recalled one incident where Claudine appeared lifeless after an altercation with Raymart.
“Bumaba si Claudine parang normal. Hindi na siya ‘yung anak ko, parang zombie,” she said. “Malamig pa sa yelo ‘yung paa. I looked at Daddy, and he looked at me. We knew that it was more than anything else.”
Inday alleged that Raymart once sexually assaulted Claudine in front of their household staff, saying, “That was the time he [bleeped] her… Santino saw it.” She added that she kept silent “not out of shame, pero baka di ko mapigilan ang sarili ko.”
She also described how Claudine would sometimes flee from her husband “like a scared mouse.” “Tinakpan niya ng face towel ang mouth ni Claudine,” she said. “Ang nakita ko lang, hinahabol niya si Claudine parang daga. Naabutan niya, hinablot pa niya.”
Inday claimed she once brought Claudine to Thailand to prove that her daughter was not addicted to drugs, as rumored, but was instead struggling with trauma and mental illness. “Saktan niyo na ko’t lahat, but don’t touch my children. You’re gonna get it,” she said, addressing her message to those she blamed for her daughter’s pain.
Raymart and Claudine were married in March 2006. Their annulment was finalized in 2013, following years of public disputes. They share two children: Santino and Sabina.
As of writing, Claudine has not released any statement in response to her mother’s allegations or Santiago’s legal warning.
