CLAUDINE BARRETTO RETURNS TO PRIMETIME TELEVISION FOR 'TOΤΟΥ ΒΑΤΟ'

I HAD MY SATURDAY DAY OFF ALL PLANNED which, as we all know, is a rare luxury in this whirlwind life of being a journalist with anchoring, hosting and mom duties.

- MJ MARFORI

But when I got the call that Claudine Barretto, the Optimum Star herself, was going to be at Studio 6 of the TV5 Media Center for her big primetime comeback pictorial, I did what any entertainment journo worth her salt would do. I cancelled that day-off real quick because we knew we had to be there.

So, ladies and gentlemen, Claudine is back. And not just in any role, but as Diamond in the high-octane, heart-thumping TV5 primetime series “Totoy Bato,” which is part of the Primetime Panalo lineup.

If Hollywood had Lindsay Lohan with the full-circle glow-up from tabloid chaos to red-carpet redemption, then the Philippines, we can say, has Claudine. She’s our own version of that iconic reinvention story: a woman once defined by headlines, now reclaiming her narrative with power, grace and star quality that never really left.

She’s fierce, focused and glowing. She reminds me of her Folded & Hung days with the aura that she is exuding now. That unmistakable Claudine that once ruled the 2000s primetime scene. And now, she’s stepping back into it like she never missed a beat as a Diamond.