Dennis Padilla shared a message of support for his estranged daughter, Julia Barretto, ahead of the release of her film.
On Instagram, the actor penned a short letter for Julia as he posted a photo of her for her upcoming movie Ikaw Pa Rin Ang Pipiliin Ko with Aga Muhlach.
“Dearest Juy… Hindi ko matandaan kailan tayo huling nagkita… Always praying for more blessings… Good luck sa new movie mo,” he wrote in a post on Thursday, Feb. 1.
Julia—along with her siblings Leon, Dani, and Claudia—has become distant from their father since his separation from their mom Marjorie in 2007.
Julia and Dennis attempted to reconcile in 2021. One of their notable interactions was in the actress’ now-deleted vlog dubbed Questions I’ve Never Asked My Dad, where they talked about their past issues, including the latter’s decision to change her surname from Baldivia to Barretto.
“You question why you feel like nobody’s responding, not knowing how much pain and hurt you’ve caused us before trying to talk to us,” Julia told him. “That’s why you couldn’t hear from us. We were already too pained, too scared of you.”
In a 2023 interview with journalist Karen Davila, however, Julia said she’s still not ready for to forgive her father, noting how she’s been going through a cycle of pain.
“But forgiveness, of course, that’s for my own peace of mind ‘di ba. Hindi ko ipagkakait ang forgiveness,” she said. “There’s just been so much pain since I was young so parang I got tired of the same thing.”
Dennis’ relationship with her children got even more complicated when he aired his disappointment over Julia’s statements.
Despite this, Dennis has been constantly reaching out to his estranged children by posting his greetings during their birthdays and on special occasions like Christmas and New Year on social media.
