Claudine Barretto turns a year fiercer

CLAUDINE Barretto says she and husband Raymart Santiago are “back to zero.”

Name it, Claudine Barretto has been through it. Her ability to survive is stronger than all the controversies she’s been embroiled in. She turned a year “fiercer” Sunday. Clau will never let the pain of her past overpower her. Instead, she will let it empower her.

Her “birthday thoughts”:

Is your estranged husband Raymart Santiago invited to the coming party?

Regretfully, no. It will be a small, intimate gathering of people who have stayed with me through thick and thin. They are those who gave me a sanctuary during the storms in my life. He definitely does not fall under that category.

Raymart and I failed as a couple.  I was really hopeful that we could succeed at least as parents. That’s why we gave it a go. For two weeks we thought we [found] a formula—he would see the children practically anytime he wanted, maybe even sleep over, so we could function as a family. But his lawyer made some public pronouncements that sabotaged the whole setup. After that, he ignored phone calls and text messages from us, even when our daughter Sabina was injured in school and brought to the hospital. He also didn’t live up to his obligation to give support. So I guess we’re back to zero.

What would make you happiest?

To be surrounded by my family and friends, people who sincerely care for me, who have no hidden agenda, and whose positivity is infectious. My 35th birth anniversary was the day I stopped looking back and started looking toward a good future, free of the baggage of bad memories. To quote Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day.”

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?

To never let people and circumstances dictate the terms of my happiness. Happiness is something worth fighting for, no matter who you are up against.

What’s your message to your future self?

It would be: Congratulations. You made it. You have hurdled something that would have broken lesser mortals. Not only did you survive; you have come out of it stronger and wiser. You even made your life better.

B for Kathniel

We at the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) gave  Star Cinema’s “She’s Dating the Gangster” a “B” grade. Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla have both gone beyond the cutesy-image phase. As a love team, they have gotten their act together.

The film could have been trimmed a bit, but Daniel and Kathryn’s engaging portrayals make it worthwhile. They have definitely improved in the acting department.

It might have been better, though, if the pair narrating the back story was a different couple. But it’s understandable that Daniel and Kathryn were asked to portray both present and past couples, to maximize their exposure.

The inclusion of Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta adds to the kilig factor. The film could have ended with their scene together, which hit us in all the right spots. But for the sake of the legions of Kathniel fans, the final scene had to be done for a finale with much, much mush.