Claudine leaves Kapamilya network

MANILA - Actress Claudine Barretto has left her mother network, ABS-CBN, to move to GMA 7.

On Wednesday, Barretto inked a 2-year contract with the Kapuso network at GMA Network Center. Reports said her parents accompanied her when she signed the deal.

Present during the contract signing were the network’s top executives, reports added.

This development came more than a month after she signed a two-film contract with Viva Films.

Barretto, a contract star of ABS-CBN for almost 17 years, was considered to be one of the biggest stars of the Kapamilya network.

In October, Barretto denied that she was leaving ABS-CBN in spite of signing a contract with Viva Films. Originally, she was scheduled to do a television series with her older sister, Gretchen Barretto, on ABS-CBN, but the project was cancelled.

Her last television series with ABS-CBN was "Iisa Pa Lamang" in 2008. This year, she appeared on "May Bukas Pa" as a guest star.

ABS-CBN to govt: 'Hold guilty parties accountable'

MANILA – ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday issued a statement urging authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao.

“We at ABS-CBN urge the authorities to hold the guilty parties accountable and show that justice is blind to politics,” ABS-CBN said in a statement.

The network said the government has yet to make a decisive action on the gruesome incident that occurred last Monday.

At least 100 armed men abducted and brutally murdered more than 50 people, including journalists. There were reports the death toll could reach more than 60.

“This unprecedented scale of violence erodes our faith in the rule of law. It sends a chill through journalists who continue to shine the spotlight on these killing fields,” the statement added.

As of Wednesday, six bodies have been unearthed from the "killing fields" in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province, bringing the death toll of the bloodiest election-related incident to 52.

Police has also named as possible prime suspect in the killing a political ally of President Arroyo.

"According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered at Saniag were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said.

The mayor of Datu Unsay is Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of Arroyo's ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD coalition and son of an extremely powerful regional politician who has ensured local support for the president in previous elections.

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(UPDATE 2) Anne Curtis released from hospital

MANILA – Anne Curtis, who suffered minor injuries after figuring in a car accident, has been discharged from a hospital. Reports said the young actress is now resting at her home after leaving the still undisclosed facility. Curtis opted to skip her scheduled X-ray examination and went straight home in order to rest, reports added. Curtis was reportedly grateful to all those who came to her aid, some of whom were her friends from show business.

"The Wedding" artist, who was driving a Porsche Cayenne, hit an L-300 delivery van on the corner of Congressional and Mindanao Avenues in Quezon City around 2:30 a.m. Monday.

Aquino Marcelino, the van's driver, said the actress possibly fell asleep while at the wheel. Some of the actress' celebrity friends, including former boyfriend, Sam Milby, actor Jericho Rosales and singer Christian Bautista, reportedly rushed to the scene to help her.

Angel, Mother Lily make peace

Angel, Mother Lily make peace

MANILA - ABS-CBN contract star Angel Locsin can finally heave a sigh of relief now that things have smoothed over between her and Regal Films matriarch Lily Monteverde. This came after reports surfaced alleging that Monteverde got angry with Locsin when she turned down a film role on "Mano Po 6: My Mother" with Megastar Sharon Cuneta. "Nakakagaan sa loob. Kasi na-bother talaga ako ng nabalitaan ko 'yon nga daw nagalit daw si Mother. Siyempre kay Mother din ako nagsimula at walang pinakitang di maganda sa akin si Mother, kaya na-bother talaga ako," Locsin said. She said that if given a choice, she will definitely do the film. However, she has an exclusive contract with Star Cinema. "Kaya [ganun] dahil sa sitwasyon. Unang una, sa commitments ko. Pangalawa, exclusive ako sa Star Cinema. Medyo hindi tayo magkakaroon ng chance na gawin yon," Locsin said. Locsin, who said she was happy that things were fine with the seasoned producer, added that she is planning to find time to talk to Monteverde. Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Monteverde clarified that she has no-ill feelings against Locsin. She said she was just disappointed that Locsin was unable to be part of the movie. "Hindi naman ako galit. I just want to explain the things that happened. Ang sinasabi ko, hindi naman 'yong availability but yong previous commitments. Ako naman, anak ko si Angel, wala sa akin 'yon. I don't want to be misunderstood, I just want to explain and share my sentiments," she added. According to Monteverde, Locsin, a former exclusive star of GMA-7 still had a contract with Regal Films to do three more movies but the actress' decision to move to ABS-CBN last July 2007 overlooked the film contract.