Veteran actress Claudine Barretto is set to portray Vice President Sara Duterte in a new project by controversial director Darryl Yap, the filmmaker confirmed via Facebook.
Yap made the announcement on April 22 with a straightforward post stating, “Claudine Barretto as Inday Sara Duterte.” Barretto soon echoed the announcement on her own page, expressing gratitude with a simple “thank you Direk.”
The excitement didn’t stop there. Yap followed up with a screenshot of their exchange where he asked Barretto, “Clau! Ready ka bang maging si Inday Sara?” to which the actress emotionally replied, “Sara forever. Oh my gosh, I’m crying. Thank you direk.”
The two have previously teased a collaboration when they met earlier this April alongside Senator Imee Marcos. Barretto shared that Yap pitched her a film idea under Viva Films and that Viva executive Vic Del Rosario had already approved it.
While the full details of the project are still under wraps, this marks a notable partnership between Yap—known for his politically charged films “Maid in Malacañang” and “Martyr or Murderer”—and Barretto, who has not been as active in recent years but remains one of Philippine cinema’s most recognizable faces.
Barretto’s ties to the Duterte family go back years. She and some of her family members are known to have had a personal relationship with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who once attended her father’s wake—a tense reunion that made headlines due to a physical altercation among the Barretto sisters.
Yap, meanwhile, remains embroiled in legal issues involving his previously announced film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma, which has been postponed following cyberlibel complaints filed by actor and TV host Vic Sotto.
