A brawlerupted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 over cell phone photos of an actress berating a ground stewardess of a budget airline.
Actor Raymart Santiago and at least six other men ganged up on Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and radio host Ramon Tulfo on Sunday for taking photos of the former’s wife, actress Claudine Barretto, according to Tulfo’s account.
Tulfo said he arrived at Naia 3 from Davao City on a Cebu Pacific flight when he noticed a woman giving the stewardess a dressing down.
“The ground stewardess was on the verge of tears,” Tulfo told the Inquirer over the phone, recalling what caught his attention before the beating he received.
He said he initially sympathized with the woman after learning from onlookers that she had been complaining of “an off-loaded luggage,” which had been a subject of critical columns he wrote before.
He did not recognize the woman as Barretto until he walked toward the airline’s complaints desk.
Mobile phone
Tulfo pulled out his mobile phone and took photos of the scene, which he said would form part of a column he intended to write, when a man from the actress’ group approached him.
The man, whom he later recognized as Barretto’s husband, “demanded to get my phone which I used in taking shots.” Tulfo said he refused to surrender his phone.
Santiago continued to force Tulfo to give up his phone when several men joined the actor, according to the columnist. Tulfo said he could not recall who threw the first punch because he was being ganged up.
Hit on blind side
Tulfo, a martial arts expert, said he was hit on his blind side as the punches kept coming.
The brawl took place shortly past noon at the baggage claim area.
While trying to fight his way out, Tulfo said Barretto, who was nearby, repeatedly cursed at him. He said he might have hit the actress with a kick as he tried to fight back.
“This is the real persona of an actress who is always portrayed [in the movies] as a martyr,” he said.
He said he pitied the ground staff of Cebu Pacific whom Barretto berated.
Both Barretto and Santiago denied Tulfo’s accusations in separate interviews.
Barretto said on radio that it was Tulfo who started the commotion.
The actress said it was the radio host and columnist who threw the first punch.
In an interview with Inquirer Entertainment and posted on INQUIRER.net after the incident, Santiago said that when he approached Tulfo to ask him about his cellphone video, the columnist suddenly punched and kicked him and his wife.
“Why would I hit an older man in front of my children? I wasn’t brought up by my parents that way,” he explained.
He added that his children were traumatized by the incident.
CCTV footage
The actress said she and her husband were asking for the CCTV footage from airport authorities to prove their innocence.
Baggage missing
Santiago said the complaints stemmed from the airline’s decision not to load some of their luggage on the same flight they took from Boracay to Manila.
“Our group consisted of three families,” he said. “Two of the families’ baggage went missing. The airline should’ve informed us of their decision to load our things on a different plane. Some of the children’s things and medicines were in the missing bags.”
Tulfo said Barretto continued “cussing” at him when they met for the second time at the airport police station. “I could only give her a smile as she fumed at me.”
At the same time, Tulfo denounced the Naia security personnel and the airport police for failing to restrain Barretto’s party as they were restoring order in the area.
Choked
He said he had submitted to the authorities when they arrived and as they were sorting things out, “somebody lunged behind me and grabbed me by the neck.”
The choking lasted a couple of seconds, and Tulfo said he could have passed out if it happened a few moments longer.
No arrests were made by the Manila International Airport Authority’s police intelligence and investigation department (PIID).
Lieutenant Demterio Sison, PIID officer in charge, said his men “have yet to determine the suspects in this incident. That is why, no arrests were made by Naia 3 policemen.
Complainants
“Right now, we have two sets of complainants. Mr. Tulfo on one side and Claudine Barretto and husband Raymart Santiago on the other side. We are still investigating the case,” he told the Inquirer.
Sison, who noted contusions on Mr. Tulfo’s face, said the airport police were still trying to find out who started the fight.
Tulfo reportedly chanced upon Santiago and Barretto, who were among the passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight No. 5J 896 from Boracay.
kasama sa trabaho niya yung ginawa nya bilang media/broadcaster.. nakita nyang sinisigawan ni claudine ung staff kaya nya kinuhanan ng video or picture.. isa pa pwede namang kausapin ni raymart ng maayos si tulfo bakit kelangan mauwi sa sakitan diba? anong laban ng isang 60 anyos (not sure sa age) sa kanya? nakisapak pa yung nakapink na shirt at si claudine. naawa ako kay tulfo.. gianagawa lang nya trabaho nya,
Who cares about 3 airheads fighting over something as frivolous as their own privacy when they are public personalities. Fighting only made the event more public. As for Tulfo he deserves to be punched anyway but for some other reason. I bet those who crossed paths with Tulfo on his official capacity as a supposed expose expert are clapping their hands now.
Nawala tuloy ang news between Cotto and Mayweather.. eto sikat ngayon Tulfo and Santiago!! sana meron pang Santiago Brothers vs Tulfo Brothers part II.. mas sisikat un!!
yung mga guard wala ring kwenta. bakit si mon tulfo ang hinawakan nila? para masuntok ng todo ni raymart? dapat yung umaatake ang awatin nila, ibang klase..
apektado ako masyado haha..
naawa lang ako sa matanda para ng tatay ni raymart si tulfo eh.
bayas yung mga guard ,bakit nila hinawakan lang si mon, e sinusuntok sya e, dapat may umaawat din kay raymart at yung naka pink.. sa tingin ko both side may pagkaka mali, yan ang hirap sa pinoy , puro yabang at tapang ang pinaiiral, sa bandang huli, dyos ang magdecide ,makarma rin kung sino may kasalanan.
yung mga guard wala ring kwenta. bakit si mon tulfo ang hinawakan nila? para masuntok ng todo ni raymart? dapat yung umaatake ang awatin nila, ibang klase..
apektado ako masyado haha..
naawa lang ako sa matanda para ng tatay ni raymart si tulfo eh.
agree, mas naawa ako kay tulfo eh.. oo may mali siya, pero sana naman, kinausap nalang nila, hindi nila sinaktan.. at may nakapink na shirt na binubugbog din siya eh.. grabe..
tapos si claudine, di siya masasaktan if hindi siya nakihalo don sa suntukan..
oh well, nakakashock, tama yung post sa taas, dahil dito nawala ang news kay mayweather.. hahahah!
Sadyang bratt talaga yang si Claudine Baretto, may paawa epek pa sa interview.
Matindi nakabangga nila Tulfo yan.
tama! ginagawa lang naman ang trabaho ni Tulfo. Dapat magingat sila sa kilos nila dahil napaligiran ng mga nakattutok na camera!
Kagaya dito, isang male pinoy nurse ang nabilanggo dahil sa pagmamaltrato sa isang pasyente at apat na Pinay tanggal sa trabaho. May secretong camera sa bedroom ng elderly mentally and phisically disabled lady. Por que walang bantay kala nila pa-easy lang at magawa nila gusto nila hindi nila alam ni hindi man lang nagreeeting at kinausap ang matanda, tapos hatak dito hablot doon. Nako, nakarecord lahat ang usapan ng mga carers at kung papano ang pagtrato sa pasyente! imbisdi kausapin ang pasyente ung chesmis ang inaatupag kaya parang binabaliwala ang matanda.
kasama sa trabaho niya yung ginawa nya bilang media/broadcaster.. nakita nyang sinisigawan ni claudine ung staff kaya nya kinuhanan ng video or picture.. isa pa pwede namang kausapin ni raymart ng maayos si tulfo bakit kelangan mauwi sa sakitan diba? anong laban ng isang 60 anyos (not sure sa age) sa kanya? nakisapak pa yung nakapink na shirt at si claudine. naawa ako kay tulfo.. gianagawa lang nya trabaho nya,
akala kasi ng artista ay isa syang Royal, malakas influencia. Dito nga kahit Royal Highness walang ligtas sila sa mga columnist dahil kung walang chesmis walang kita. Hwag lang sila lalabag ng batas, its their human rights to record any incident that will create news.
Message appended on May 7, 2012 03:54PM
Malinaw ung video na inambushed si Tulfo pati si claudin nakiambushed din. Kawawang matanda. Ang hirap ng trabaho nya talaga kailangan maging discreet sya, dapat may secret camera sya, halatado ung celphone talaga.
Lalabas din ang truth.
17 May 2012
Oh mga kasulit nakipagayos na si Claudin sa 2 Airport workers na sinigawan nya! O diba, it doesnt cost a penny ang magpakombaba. Pero ang makipagguerra ay stressfull at nakakahiya sa madla! One more lesson we have learnt.