MANILA — In a statement that sent shock waves in local showbiz, Julia Barretto accused her fellow Star Magic artist Bea Alonzo of being “sly” and inciting outrage against her by supposedly, deliberately liking Instagram posts alleging an affair between her and Alonzo’s former boyfriend, Gerald Anderson.
“Bea, you wanted to keep your hands clean by not mentioning me in your controversial post, but with a click of your finger, in your sly way, you have charged everybody to destroy me for you,” a portion of Barretto’s Instagram statement read.
She also alleged that Alonzo has “encouraged a culture of hate by purposely liking harmless photos, putting malice into the minds of many, which resulted in the outrage of insults against me.”
Not a few were left asking what photos Barretto was referring to.
The controversy erupted on July 21, when Alonzo posted on Instagram about having had “enough,” with only a completely black image.
That same night, Alonzo’s Instagram activities, visible to those who follow her, fueled speculation that her cryptic message hinting at infidelity in her relationship pertained to Anderson and Barretto.
Alonzo appeared to like successive posts that included photos of Anderson and Barretto at the birthday party of a mutual friend, actor Rayver Cruz.
One such post was uploaded by a fan account dedicated to Alonzo. That page, which now has the username @cabrera.kathbealove, captioned the photos with allegations of an affair between the “Between Maybes” co-stars, including that they rode the same car together.
The account also posted a screenshot noting that Alonzo had liked its photos about Anderson and Barretto.
Barretto’s mother, former actress Marjorie Barretto, has said she plans to take legal action against the person behind the photos and the accusations that came with them.
Dani Barretto, Julia’s sister, sang a similar tune at the time, saying that the photos do not prove an affair.
“Nag-usap lang sa party, at may chismosang nag-decide mag-picture, cheating na agad? Bawal ang ‘hi’ sa isa’t isa, bawal magkamustahan? Cheating na agad ‘yun?! They worked together! Of course, they’re friends! Pati ‘yun bawal na din?” she tweeted.
Aside from the photos taken at the party, Alonzo was also seen liking certain comments, including one pertaining to Joshua Garcia, Barretto’s former boyfriend.
“My god, si Joshua at Bea kawawa dito,” was one such comment on Alonzo’s “enough” post.
Another post that was liked by Alonzo was from another fan page, @lloydiebeaforever. The Instagram post, dated July 24, is a collage of screenshots of updates from Segara Hotels on Facebook.
Both published on April 13, the separate posts from the Facebook page thanked Barretto and Anderson for staying at the hotel in Subic.
The apparent implication of the collage — that Anderson and Barretto slept together — prompted a response from the actress’ mother again.
She stressed that the stay was work-related, pointing out that “Between Maybes,” Anderson and Barretto’s romance movie, filmed scenes in Subic on April 12, and that the actors were provided one room each.
Barretto, in her statement on Tuesday, went on to tell Alonzo that she could have used her “great influence and following” to “promote strength and grace in women.”
“But instead, you’ve used that to promote social media irresponsibility. That is downright bullying. You can play the victim all you want, but I refuse to be your victim,” she wrote.
Alonzo, in her interview confirming her breakup with Anderson, did not once mention Barretto, although she said the actor had just stopped talking to her without formally ending the relationship.
Anderson, in his own interview over a week later, denied that Barretto was a factor in his separation from his girlfriend of three years.