By ROBERT R. REQUINTINA
Actress Gretchen Barretto and her friends took to Instagram to apologize for their behavior while reading a letter from a sender who was seeking help for her mother-in-law last June 6.
“Not everybody was pleased, not everybody understood what we were laughing about. And kung meron po kaming kasalanan dun, kung meron po akong kasalanan dun, tawa po ako nang tawa imbis na basahin ko po nang diretso ang letter,” said Barretto during a live public apology on Instagram at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City last Saturday.
Joining Baretto were her friends Mimi Que and Patty Pineda. Barreto’s partner, business tycoon Tony Boy Cojuangco, joined them for dinner but he did not take part in the IG session. Barretto and friends have been granting the wishes of the poor and the needy since Easter Sunday, April 1 through Instagram.
“We all take responsibility for what we did. Yung gabing yun po—I’m not trying to make light of the situation—kung ano pong pagkakamali namin, andito po,” the actress said.
Que, on her part, said: “We’re not buying our way out of the situation. We are owning up to our mistakes. We apologize.”
Barretto added: I apologized, we apologized, right after po we were all laughing that night. This is between Patty Pineda, Mimi Que, myself, and J Mula because si J Mula po ang nagpadala ng request or ng mga kanyang wishes.
“It was very rude, I admit. It was very inappropriate, unlady-like for us to behave that way;
“Sorry po at minsan nakakalimutan ko po na 48 years old na ako and I should be behaving my age;
“But talagang sadyang immature pa rin po ako and I am very sorry. I’d like to make a public apology, although Jo-Ann Mula already accepted our apology that very night.”
Barretto thanked Mula for accepting their apology. “I thank you for your golden heart, for your forgiveness, and for your understanding, for your acknowledgment, kung ano man yan.”
“And you know, Dominique actually told me, ‘Mom, you gotta grow up, you know.’ Yes, and I’m trying my best to grow up. Masyado lang po akong happy-go-lucky.”
“Whether in-accept niya or not ang aming apology, I feel… I believe, we or I owe her an apology for laughing, for not understanding… for being immature, if you call it immature.
“I was immature, I am immature, and I am a work in progress. I admit that. We all are;
“That’s all that really matters to us right now na you have a forgiving heart, you have forgiven us;
“Again, I apologize for what we have done kung ano po ang damage na nagawa, I really apologize and then let’s move on,” she added.
