Raymart Santiago files for custody

MANILA, Philippines – Actor Raymart Santiago sought custody of children Sabina and Santino from estranged wife, Claudine Barretto, at the Marikina Regional Trial Court on Wednesday morning, August 7.

The petition for habeas corpus was raffled at 10:00 a.m. and the case went to the sala of Executive Judge Lorna Chua Cheng of Marikina RTC Branch 168.

Under the Family Code, a petition for habeas corpus is filed by a parent who is denied custody of his/her children.

The petition may well serve as Raymart’s answer to Claudine’s motion for a Temporary Protection Order (TPO) on July 29 at the sala of Judge Geraldine Macaraeg at the Marikina RTC Branch 192.

READ: Claudine files TPO against Raymart

Raymart and Claudine have a son, Santino, and a legally adopted daughter, Sabina.

Friends of the estranged couple are saddened by their marriage at this point.

“If there’s another way to handle this, I guess ‘yun ang ginawa na nila [that’s what they did]. But it has all become personal—nagsasakitan sila [they’re hurting each other] at the expense of their children,” a close friend of Raymart and Claduine said.

READ: Statements latest chapter to Raymart-Claudine

“Matagal na kasi ‘yang issue na ‘yan [That’s an old issue],” actor-comedian Benjie Paras, another close friend of the couple, said.

“Tahimik lang si Raymart, pero matagal na naman silang hindi na nagsasama. Itong pag-file lang, dito lang ako nagulat kung paano nangyari ‘yon.” (Raymart has just been quiet, but they haven’t been together for some time. But with [Raymart’s petition], I was just surprised how it happened.)

“Ang sa akin lang, katulad ng wini-wish ng iba, na sana matapos nang maayos [at] kung ano man yung totoo, sana lumabas.” (I would wish, like everyone else would, that whatever is the truth would be settled properly and would come out.)

“Matagal na kaming hindi nag-uusap ni Raymart. Alam mo naman si Raymart, kahit naman noong nag-comment siya sa media regarding this issue, pinasabi lang niya.” (Raymart and I haven’t talked for a while. You know Raymart, even when he commented on this issue, it was through somebody else.) 

“Kilala ko yung taong yun. Kapag ayaw niyang pag-usapan, hindi mo puwedeng simulan. Every time nagkakakumustahan kami, nag-aantay ako na sa kanya manggaling. Wala namang nanggagaling sa kanya so never akong nag-i-interfere.” (I know that person. If he doesn’t want to talk about something, you can’t bring it up. Every time we see each other, I would just wait for any word from him. But none is forthcoming, so I don’t interfere.)

For some time, Claudine and sister Gretchen Barretto had also been feuding. But this time Gretchen chooses to dismiss this episode between Claudine and Raymart.

“Sa totoo lang, wala akong pakialam. Di ba, sabi nila, [The truth is, I couldn’t care less. Don’t people say,] mind your own business?

“Tsaka mahirap, baka maulit yung paglilihis ng kung ano talaga ang problema. [And it’s hard, we might again be distracted from the real problem.] I am totally out of that!

“Kung ano ang problema, [Whatever the problem,] I hope people will see it and they deal with it without me. I have my own business.

“So, ganun na lang. Tama na. [So, that’s all. Enough.] Tigilan na natin. Let’s just stop it.” – Rappler.com