MANILA -- Claudine Barretto has an ally in the women's rights group Gabriela, which will bring to court the actress' allegations of abuse against her husband, Raymart Santiago.
On Thursday, the 34-year-old actress said she will file charges against her former partner for his alleged violation of the Anti-Violence against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004.
Barretto's legal counsel, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, said he will not be "actively" involved in the case. "Gabriela is handling that for Clau," he told ABS-CBN News in a separate interview Thursday night.
"Ang paniniwala ng Gabriela ay may violation ng VAWC law, 'yung criminal aspect. So they decided to take the cudgels for Ms. Claudine Barretto and using their own organization," he said.
Topacio also criticized Santiago's apparent "celebration" on Thursday, when he turned emotional after being allowed by the Marikina Regional Trial Court (RTC) to be reunited with his children.
"I don't know what they're so happy about. They dragged the kids into this, so I don't know what's so beatufiul about that," the lawyer said.
Santiago's reunion with his children -- Sabina, 9, and Santino, 6 -- came after the family court granted the 40-year-old actor's petition for a writ of habeas corpus in relation to a custody case he had filed against Barretto.
The petition for the writ was filed by Santiago on Wednesday, in response to the same court's granting of Barretto’s temporary protection order (TPO) against him. The same order also prohibited Santiago from being within 300 meters of his two children.
The TPO stems from Santiago's alleged "physical, verbal, psychological, and even economical" abuse towards Barretto, which the actor has repeatedly denied.
