Controversial celebrity Gretchen Barretto is in the news again.
She is being mentioned in show biz talk shows and news reports over an alleged incident said to have happened in early June in which her credit card was declined in a posh restaurant located in a Makati five-star hotel. As she presented her credit card to pay the bill for her dinner with Ruffa Gutierrez, Pops Fernandez and a non-showbiz friend named Josie, Gretchen was informed that the bank had declined the card.
According to the reports, Gretchen had answered back to the waiter, “That cannot be, we own the bank.” The cashier then tried several times to get the bank’s approval but failed. Ruffa instead paid the P4,000++ bill in cash. Reports also said that Gretchen’s long-time partner, businessman Tony Boy Cojuangco had rushed to the scene and tried to settle the problem. But, the reports added, the couple ended up quarreling over the incident.
As a result of the controversy, Gretchen told entertainment columnist Ricky Lo that she was seriously considering leaving the country for good.
In an exclusive interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) on Thursday, Gretchen’s manager Boy Abunda confirmed that the incident did happen but clarified that the card was not declined because the transaction exceeded the credit limit or it was due to deactivation. Abunda said the whole brouhaha was a result of a hardware malfunction of the restaurant’s card reader. The machine’s magnetic stripe reader was not able to read Gretchen’s card, he said.
Boy also clarified that Gretchen was not leaving the country because of the incident. He clarified it was the couple’s plan even before to accompany their daughter Dominique in her studies abroad. Gretchen and Tony Boy’s relationship remained strong, Boy said.
Boy did not confirm or deny Gretchen’s “we own the bank” remarks to the waiter and the argument between Gretchen and Tony Boy. He also could not determine why Gretchen did not attend Ruffa’s recent birthday party or confirm that her no-show was a result of the incident. But, he said Gretchen and Ruffa were already on speaking terms.
He also said he was “not privy” to an alleged incident wherein Gretchen had fumed at PEP and YES! Magazine Editor-in-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon for breaking the story on the online portal.
Boy was also asked if it was indeed Ruffa’s personal assistant who leaked the incident to the press. Boy said it was “immaterial”. He revealed Gretchen is using the credit card again,
July 5th, 2008 at 3:58 am
AND WHY IS THIS EVEN NEWS WORTHY???
July 5th, 2008 at 12:51 am
“That cannot be, we own the bank”. Wow what an arrogant beotch. How did she own the bank by the way. “that bank” she claims to be theirs is build from nothing by the Cojuancho ancestor. Her only claim to that establishment is being Tony Boy’s “woman” .
When will she ever get her head straight? she obviously is deranged either she’s washing her families dirty laundry in public or fighting with somebody. She is a mother for pete sake she should set a good example for her daughter. What she needs is a psychotherapist. She is certifiably a lunatic
July 4th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
funny. credit card issue is a very personal matter. i cannot funderstand why people have to make an issue over the card when the bill was actually paid! I am no fan of Greta but who cares if she got declined? She got cash anyway
July 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
for boy abunda… why don’t you move on. you don’t have to explain to the public over and over again. if gretchen wants to leave the country… then let her leave the country for good and pls do not stop her. you guys don’t even bother declaring to the public the amount of money they all spent for the food. that is low class and very unprofessional. puro kayong kayabangan.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
what i found really arrogant was the “we own the bank” comment. i hope that was really a misinformation on what she really said. kung hindi, my gosh, you do not have to tell strangers, in this case the waiters, what your family owns!