“We intend to be the best of friends for our kids.”
That’s what actress Claudine Barretto declared after she and estranged husband Raymart Santiago stopped the annulment since 2013.The two made the revelation at the press conference of her comeback teleserye for TV5, Bakit Manipis ang Ulap?, a remake of the 1985 film written and directed by the late Danny Zialcita.
The 36-year-old actress added that she and Raymart have mutually agreed not to pursue their annulment as well as other cases they had filed against each other as they have become very good friends as of late.
“We already failed as husband and wife so we don’t want to fail as parents for our kids,” she pointed out. Claudine said she and Raymart expressed concern on how their annulment would affect children Sabina and Santino, who are now at least old enough to understand why their parents are no longer living under one roof. But she shared that the kids are now happy to be spending more time with both of them not only in school activities but also in dining out.
She also admitted that since she and Raymart are both not in a relationship right now and have no plans of re-marrying, there is no point to waste time on legal proceedings.
“I asked him if he has a girlfriend and he said he has no plans of marrying again. I felt the same way, too so he decided that for the sake of the kids, let’s not pursue this annulment for now,” she further said. Asked if there is any chance of reconciliation between her and Raymart, the actress was very emphatic on ruling it out. But if the time comes when either of them fall in love Claudine and Raymart put annulment on hold with someone else and wants to move on, they promised to give each other a heads up.
For now, Claudine said she’s just happy to revitalize her career again, which suffered after her involvement in several controversies including her much publicized rift with her sisters, an airport brawl that involved Raymart and hard-hitting journalist Ramon Tulfo, alleged substance abuse allegations, and the unraveling of her marriage.
Following favorable feedback on her performance in Chito Roño’s “Etiquette for Mistresses,” Claudine hopes to that “Bakit Manipis ang Ulap?” will bring her all the way back and open more doors for even bigger projects down the road. She’s very proud to be part of a series helmed by Joel Lamangan and featuring a strong ensemble cast that includes Cesar Montano, Meg Imperial, Diether Ocampo, Dindi Gallardo, Roxanne Barcelo, Samantha Lopez, Bernard Palanca, Janelle Jamer, Bret Jackson, Issa Pressman, Mariel de Leon and Nathalie Colipano.
“I’m just blessed to be given this chance. With so many teleseryes not only during primetime but also on daytime, you have to be able to give your audience something new. Hopefully, we can do that in this series,” she enthused.
And since this is a remake of a film by Danny Zialcita, both Claudine and Direk Joel promise to retain much of the snappy dialogue that the late filmmaker’s popular dramas are known for. Among the writers of the series are the equally formidable tandem of Perci Intalan and Jun Lana.
Produced by Viva Entertainment for TV5, Bakit Manipis ang Ulap? premieres this February 15.• – E. Sallan, Interaksyon