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 11th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Showbiz is disgusting. Esp. Philippines’. These days, it seems celebrities would rather be “notorious” than “famous for being gracious”. They would be proud to own up, to oh-well exaggerated human “shortcomings” kuno…Like doing their dirty laundry in public, divulging that they have STDs, tortured in a closet by their RICH husbands, all those crap! What happened to the days of yore when stars were stars, and were worth emulating???
July 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am
serves her right.. she thinks she’s on a pedestal.. doesn’t know everyone’s looking down at her.. laughing at her trying-hard-to-be-a-socialite aura where in fact she oozes with ineptitude and arrogance.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:14 am
well….one moral lesson…do not rely on credit cards…always carry cash with you when you go and dine in a first class restaurants…a Cojuangco ( even if she is the “other woman”) ?…without a cash?..what a shame!!!!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:22 am
fool your own self greta. mga tao hindi dummy ano? magnet malfunction…bakit hindi ba pwede i punch in yung cr. acct. # niya sa machine. just be honest na it was declined.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:40 am
they should dine in hell.