Claudine Barretto extends support to Sandro Muhlach, Gerald Santos

(from left to right) Sandro Muhlach, Claudine Barretto, and Gerald Santos | Image: Instagram/@@sandromuhlach, @claubarretto, @thegeraldsantos

Claudine Barretto has expressed her support to Sandro Muhlach and Gerald Santos in their battle for justice after experiencing sexual assault.

In an Instagram live over the weekend, Claudine was asked by fans about her thoughts on the issue after Sandro finally filed an administrative case before their TV network, GMA, and named his alleged abusers. Subsequently, Gerald also came out to express support to Sandro, while also saying that he too was sexually abused, but did not receive justice.

Claudine said she is grateful that at least the wrongdoings done on her fellow artists are finally coming to light.

“Mr. Niño Muhlach, bata pa lang ako, barkada ‘yan ni Marjorie so napamahal sakin… Grabe ‘yung pinagdadaanan nila. I’m just glad na lahat to lumalabas para makamit ‘yung hustiya na kailangan nila,” she said of Sandro’s father, former child actor Niño Muhlach.

(Mr. Niño Muhlach, since I was a kid, him and my sister Marjorie were friends, so I really love him. What they were going through right now was terrible. I’m just glad that things are coming to light, so they can get the justice they need.)

Niño used to be a contract artist of Viva, were Claudine’s sister Marjorie also signed up in her early days as an actress.

Claudine’s Instagram post was reposted by Niño on his Facebook page, with the caption, “Thank you, Claui”.

On Monday, Sandro filed a complaint of rape through sexual assault and acts of lasciviousness against GMA Network’s independent contractors, Jojo Nones and Richard Cruz, before the Department of Justice (DOJ) over what transpired after the network’s gala night on July 20.

Claudine on Gerald

Meanwhile, in the same live, Claudine also gave her support to Gerald, who recently revealed that he was raped by an ex-GMA musical director when he was 15.

“I support Gerald 100 percent. Huwag po natin questionin kasi ang tao po na may pinagdaanan na ganiyan, hindi ho agad agad nagsasalita. Ngayon lang siguro siya nagkaroon ng boses,” she said.

(I support Gerald 100 percent. Let’s not question it because the person who has gone through something like that won’t talk right away. Maybe he just now had a voice.)

Hours after Gerald revealed his experience, GMA released a statement pointing out that his new testimony was different from the formal complaint he filed in 2010.

Santos then released “proof” to back up his recent testimony, including old letters addressed to Atty. Felipe Gozon, the network’s CEO at the time, over the differing claims that GMA is attesting against him.