Keeping up with the Barrettos: That’s so us, says sociologist

MANILA, Philippines — And so the Barretto sisters are at it again. It’s “distracting,” it’s tabloidish, it’s addictive — and it says a lot about the audience that laps it up, according to a sociologist.

“Three things which are commonly stereotyped as part of Filipino culture are at play here — namely, being family-oriented, being ‘celebrity-centric’ and being intrigue-driven,” Athena Presto, who teaches at the University of the Philippines, said when asked to make sense of the way the public had been relishing the latest episode in the Barretto family feud.

“This issue becomes more engrossing because it is not only the Barretto family who is involved, but also no less than the President and other politicians and businessmen linked to the Barretto women,” Presto pointed out.

“The Barretto family checks a lot of boxes in the requirement list of controversies,” she added.

The latest cast members, so to speak, in this real-life drama are former Caloocan Mayor Recom Echiverri, controversial businessman Atong Ang and President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

Attempted reconciliation

On Oct. 16, the President visited the wake of the family’s patriarch, Miguel Alvir Barretto. His attempt to help reconcile the feuding sisters at the vigil, set to jazz ballads, turned instead into a fresh confrontation between Marjorie and Gretchen Barretto, one of the President’s celebrity supporters in 2016.

The celebrity-centric netizenry and media, as well as the officialdom were soon weighing in. “Sawsaw pa more. Take it! Take it!” to paraphrase Gretchen in one of her angry posts.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go described the squabble as “parang nagshu-shooting” (like  they’re shooting a scene).

Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo “invited Gretchen, Marjorie and Claudine Barretto on his radio program … to have them settle their differences,” Inquirer.net reported on Thursday. A film critic, meanwhile, suggested on social media that the Barrettos could monetize their goings-on like the Kardashians.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo — whose views on the matter were also sought — appealed for understanding in the family’s behalf.

“The matter of the Barrettos is private,” he said of the Instagramming family. “We should not feast on the tragedy and misery of our fellow human beings. Everyone has the right to grieve in silence.”

Escalating the drama were tell-all interviews with Marjorie, who admitted that Echiverri was the father of a daughter of hers, and with Ang, who pointed out that Marjorie as well as Gretchen were no longer active in show biz (“pareho naman kayo na hindi na nag-aartista”).

Marjorie’s last appearance on television was the series “My Fair Lady” in 2015. She had a string of film projects in the 1990s, but was later sidetracked to politics when she became second district councilor of Caloocan City in 2007.

Claudine announced last April a new movie reuniting her with “Milan” costar Piolo Pascual. That month she also made a comeback on TV. Gretchen last appeared on television in 2013, when she also starred in a Cinemalaya entry.

‘Invested in this issue’

Canadian gossip “scholar” Elaine Lui, who has established a wide following with her insights on gossip, once said in a TED Talks forum: “How can gossip not be counted as academic? Gossip is anthropology. Celebrity gossip is the conversation that exposes who we are.”

Presto said about this particular celebrity gossip: “People are talking about it, and through social media, one can vividly see how invested people are in this issue.

“Social media also allows ordinary citizens to field in their concerns and get answers right away, especially seen in the IG (Instagram) posts and IG stories of Gretchen.

“The Barrettos have always had rocky moments, and now we see the names of the younger nieces, who are themselves celebrities, being dragged into the controversy.”

Presto, however, also pointed out how this controversy has become a reflection not only of the Barrettos.

“This issue may seem very personal on face value, but the way that the media and the way that the Filipinos have subscribed to this family feud shows a lot about our national character of being intrigue-driven and celebrity-centric.” —With reports from Julie M. Aurelio and Inquirer Research