When two word-warring actresses make a go at it these days, chances are you’ll find it in Twitter—and that’s exactly how this rift widened between Claudine Barretto and Angelica Panganiban.

On Aug. 4, Claudine reportedly went on Twitter to post a warning message that said in part: “Don’t mess with my family… This is not over.” While Claudine’s Twitter account has now been made private as of this writing, this message and several others before it became hot topic among showbiz reporters in the early part of August.

And though Claudine once claimed she would not name the subject of her Twitter rants, the reporters guessed that she was talking about Angelica, and apparently she did not deny this in an interview with PEP that came out on Aug. 26.

The entertainment site also noted that Claudine said it was indeed Angelica who was saying those negative things about her, including alleging that she was having an affair with a certain Martin Castro, a married man. Castro apparently is a new friend of Claudine’s husband, Raymart Santiago, and a best friend of Angelica’s boyfriend, Derek Ramsay.

Another point of contention between the two, and purportedly the source of their Tweet-war, was that Claudine got angry with Angelica when the latter badmouthed Gretchen Barretto, Claudine’s older sister, at a non-showbiz party. This, however, happened a few weeks prior to Angelica herself making a public apology to Gretchen for her own jealous Tweets stemming from La Greta’s closeness to Derek, and the latter’s remarks prior to Angelica and Derek’s vacation in South Africa.

As such, Gretchen herself has been dragged into the war brewing now between Claudine and Angelica. Gretchen, who famously made up with Angelica after her apology, apparently now considers the young actress a friend. She was then quick to deny that the rift between her sister and Angelica had anything to do with the alleged badmouthing incident.

Apparently, Gretchen doesn’t feel Claudine is defending her because she has no quarrel with Angelica anymore. She told the site, “No, no, no… that’s not true! Walang ganyang kwento na ipinagtanggol ako… ‘Yung away ni Angelica Panganiban and Claudine, wala akong kinalaman sa away na ‘yon at all…”

Gretchen added, “Iba ang away nila. Ibang level! Hindi ko kakayanin ‘yung level ng away nila! [laughs] Ang gulo no’n. Hindi ko kaya ‘yon.”

Meanwhile, Gretchen’s name isn’t the only one being dragged into the mess. Joining the fray is Star Magic’s Johnny Manahan—who oversaw the career of Claudine when she was still with ABS-CBN and now does the same for Angelica on the Kapamilya network. When Claudine apparently was interviewed by a tabloid in Davao City on Aug. 22, she said she was planning to sue Angelica for allegedly saying she’s having an affair.

Claudine reiterated her position by saying only a public apology would change her mind, but later declared it was already too late for that since several weeks had already passed.

By Aug. 24, PEP reported that Claudine was sobbing when she talked about the possible case she wanted to file, adding that Angelica had been telling their mutual friends about her alleged affair. Claudine told the site, “Pareho lang daw kaming magkapatid. Kulang na lang sabihin niyang ‘kabit.’”

To the site, she also reportedly claimed: “Gusto niyang [Angelica] sirain si Derek at si Martin. Ipinagkakalat niya na addict si Martin.”

Mr. M, as Johnny Manahan is known for, apparently gave this message to PEP: “Go Ahead. Sue, Claudine. Make our Day! Para Bellum.”

Mr. M likewise defended Angelica, reportedly calling whoever is behind the lies being spread about Angelica “a very disturbed individual.”

Calling this whole thing “nonsense,” Mr. M sent PEP this statement: “For those of us who know Angelica, well, she is feisty, irreverent, sometimes crude, but never a liar. Whoever is behind the web of lies and falsehoods being spun in print, Twitter, and other media must be a very disturbed individual. I only hope this nonsense stops before it destroys the perpetrator.”

And through all this, it is quite notable that Angelica has not even aired her side. In an update on PEP on August 27, Mr. M once again made a stunning statement via text message:

“The only reason Angelica has not come out to defend herself against Claudine’s accusations is because what she has to say would be so compelling and devastating to Claudine’s career. That is why she has chosen the path of silence. Angelica still has compassion for Claudine and rejects all the falsehoods attributed to her.”

Source: Anya Santos, Manila Bulletin