Friday the 13th might be considered unlucky for some, but it proved to be a really lucky day for Gretchen Barretto and Nadia Montenegro.

The two showbiz personalities, childhood friends who had become estranged, were both at the Heritage Memorial Park and Crematorium for the third night of comedian Dolphy’s wake.

In full view of those present—mourners, media, stars—Gretchen and Nadia hugged each other, ending a rift that began in 2008.

PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) caught up with Gretchen at the opening ceremony of Cinemalaya 2012 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last July 20.

“Peace at all costs. That’s what’s important naman. I guess we’ve all moved on,” said the ABS-CBN actress who attended the event with her partner, Tonyboy Cojuangco.

Businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco has been funding the Cinemalaya event since it began eight years ago.

He provides P500,000 as seed money for filmmakers whose projects are approved.

He offers an additional P200,000 as prize money for the Best Full-Length Film in the New Breed category. This category includes only directors who have made three films or less before the Cinemalaya entry.

He also offers an additional P100,000 for the Best Short Film, and P300,000 for the Best Film in the Directors Showcase. The latter is a category that includes only established directors.

Tonyboy and Gretchen have one daughter, Dominique.

PEP asked Gretchen: Was the July 13 reconciliation with Nadia a surprise to her?

Gretchen, who is known to answer media questions frankly or not at all, said: “No, it’s not. It’s been a long time.

“We all heal. We all learn to move on.” 

For her part, Nadia, after reconciling with Gretchen last July 13, tweeted that same night: "Even in death u manage to bring unity and love. Thank u Tito Dolphy. It was nice seeing and hugging u again after 3 yrs. #LaGreta"

In a previous interview with PEP, Nadia recalled how she and the woman showbiz calls La Greta patched things up with a hug.