GMA-7 did not renew the contract of Claudine Barretto.

This was confirmed by CEO and Chairman Atty. Felipe Gozon in an exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) earlier this afternoon, August 22.

“Wala na sa amin si Claudine. Expired na ang contract niya,” Atty. Gozon said during a brief interview held at the 16th floor of GMA Network Center.

The 33-year-old Claudine, who rose to star status as an ABS-CBN talent, signed an exclusive two-year contract with GMA-7 in November 2009. 

Her contract ended last November 2011.

PEP asked Atty. Gozon: Are there plans to renew Claudine’s contract?

“It was not renewed,” Atty. Gozon said simply.

Did their decision have anything to do with the NAIA brawl that involved Claudine, her husband Raymart Santiago, and columnist-host Ramon "Mon" Tulfo?

Their decision had nothing to do with this controversy, according to the CEO and chairman of GMA Network.

In his words: “Iyon ang desisyon ng inampalan.”

It will be recalled that last May 6, Claudine and her husband, Raymart, a GMA talent, were involved in a brawl inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The commotion started when Raymart saw Mon using a cellphone to take a shot of Claudine, who was then berating a ground stewardess about her missing luggage. 

The commotion ended in a very physical confrontation caught on some passengers' own cellphones and released on the web. The footage, which went viral, showed the Santiagos and their companions hitting and kicking Tulfo, who at one point found himself sprawled on the floor, with Claudine on top of him and pummeling him with her fists.

Both parties have since filed cases against each other. These are currently ongoing in court.

NO LONG-TERM PLANS WITH TV5. Recently, Claudine taped an episode for TV5’s docu-drama anthology Untold Stories.

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