MANILA—Gretchen Barretto on Tuesday appeared to mock Julia Barretto, accusing her niece of getting somebody else to pen her "I refuse to be your victim" letter to Bea Alonzo.

Gretchen's claim added further social-media fuel to a controversy that has grabbed showbiz fans' attention to the point that, after Julia posted the letter on Instagram on Tuesday and Gerald Anderson aired his side, the whole episode has trended worldwide on the web.

"The fact that they hired a ghost writer for this post is hilarious and makes her sound desperate to salvage whatever is left," Gretchen wrote, adding: "TEAM BEA FOR THE WIN."

Gretchen was replying to an online fan of Alonzo, who also seemed unconvinced about Julia positioning herself as a victim.

In a statement, the first time she had opened up about the controversy, Julia argued that Alonzo had manipulated her fans into believing that she had an affair with Anderson.

She cited the instance when Alonzo liked a photo of Julia greeting Anderson at the birthday party of their friend, actor Rayver Cruz. It was said that the she and Anderson left the party together, although there was no photo evidence.

Julia's mother, Marjorie, has since threatened legal action against those who were behind the accusations.

According to Julia, what Alonzo did was tantamount to bullying.

The statement came a day after Anderson denied Julia's part in his breakup with Alonzo, explaining that their relationship ended because of other problems.

• LOOK: Did Bea Alonzo just call Gerald a liar?

This is not the first time Gretchen, who is known to be in a feud with Julia's mother, had expressed her support for Alonzo.

Back when the controversy first blew up more than a week ago, she sent Alonzo orchids with a card that read: "Sending you love."

Claudine, who had recently reconciled with her sister Gretchen, was also among those who are known to be on Team Bea.

Those who sympathized with Barretto in her post were her sisters Dani and Claudia, and "Magandang Buhay" host Karla Estrada.