Raymart Santiago, Claudine Barreto seek writ of amparo against Tulfo brothers

Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto sit together at the Pasay Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday, May 9, 2012, as they file a case against Philippine Daily Inquirer Ramon Tulfo following a brawl at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday. JAY DONES/Radyo Inquirer 990AM

MANILA, Philippines—Showbiz couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barreto are now seeking protection from a Quezon City court against threats the Tulfo brothers allegedly made against them on their public affairs show on TV5 a few days ago.

The couple filed a petition for a writ of amparo—from a Spanish term for protection—against T3 hosts Raffy, Ben and Erwin Tulfo in which they appealed for a special protection order (SPO) against the brothers.

In a civil complaint docketed as Q-12-71275, the Santiagos are asking for a SPO barring the Tulfos from coming within 500 meters of either of them and the assignment to the couple of police escorts.

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has yet to raffle the petition to determine which branch will hear it.

Accompanied by lawyer Alex Avisado, the couple lodged the petition at noon Friday,  four days after the T3 hosts allegedly threatened the Santiagos on the air after they and their friends ganged up on their older brother, Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo.

On Sunday, the columnist figured in a brawl with the showbiz couple and their companions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 after taking photos of Barreto complaining about her delayed baggage.

In their pleading, the Santiagos asked the court to issue a writ of amparo ordering the Tulfos to “cease and desist from further threatening the life, liberty and security of the petitioners and their family.”

“It is very clear that there are real and serious threats to the life and security of the petitioners which need the benevolent intercession of the court by issuance of a writ of amparo and a special protection order.”

The request for protection against the Tulfo brothers is separate from a criminal complaint that the Santiago couple filed against them also on Friday.

In a separate affidavit filed in the Quezon City prosecutors office, the Santiagos charged the three Tulfos with grave threats and slander under the Revised Penal Code.

Both the civil and criminal cases stemmed from the May 7 episode of T3, hosted by the three brothers on TV5.

In their complaints, the Santiagos said they were warned by friends that Ramon and his brothers were “notorious” and that they “should avoid any confrontation.”

They also learned of the younger Tulfos’ T3 show on TV5, prompting them to watch the program on Monday afternoon.

To their surprise, the couple “heard and watched” Ben, Raffy and Erwin Tulfo “uttering expletives and serious threats” against them.

The Santiagos also cited Raffy’s alleged statement that Raymart was an “hijo-de-PI” which the couple said was “serious and insulting” and brought dishonor to their reputation as actors.

“Petitioners (Santiagos) were shocked and terrified…. They were warned that the Tulfo brothers are influential people but they did not expect that they would threaten them on national television,” the petition said.

The Tulfo brothers issued an apology early this week and have been suspended by their network, TV5, for the utterances.

The TV5 suspension is aside from the 20-day suspension meted out by the Movie and Television Ratings and Classification Board.

The Santiagos said that while the MTRCB has taken action against the T3 hosts, this “does not erase the possibility that the respondents (Tulfo brothers) would use all their influence to endanger the life and security of the petitioners.”