Dennis Padilla still hoping to have 'longer conversation' with estranged children
Dennis Padilla expressed his hope of having a heart-to-heart talk with his estranged children Julia, Claudia, and Leon Barretto—whom he shares with his ex-wife Marjorie—in the future.
In an interview with Julius Babao on his YouTube channel, the comedian shared that it has been four years now since he had a conversation with his eldest child Julia that was on a personal level.
"Being separated from your partner is, syempre, painful. Pero being separated from your children is much, much, more painful. Hindi pwedeng i-compare," he shared.
"Noong maliliit pa 'yan, everytime na maghihiwalay kami, pagbalik ko sa kotse, iyak na ako nang iyak. 'Yung magkita kayo masaya, pero tuwing mag-goo-goodbye, kapag palayo na 'yung sasakyan nila, naiiyak ako," he continued.
Dennis opened up that it pains him to have missed his children growing up and how they were not able to know the "whole Dennis Padilla."
While he was able to spend some time with his children two to three times a week when they were younger, he started to drift apart from them when they moved to another house.
"Doon sa bagong bahay nila, I never attempted to go there. May time na sinundan ko 'yung sasakyan nila papunta doon sa bago nilang bahay, tapos tumigil 'yung sasakyan tapos kinausap ako ni Julia—siguro she was mga 14 or 13 noon—tapos sabi niya, 'Pa, don't follow us na. Let's just see each other some other time.' So 'di na ako sumunod," he recounted.
He clarified that the incident was not the last time that he was able to bond with his children as he still gets to meet up with them only during their birthdays or the holiday seasons. However, Dennis could not help but feel that their time together is still limited.
"Masaya pero limited, walang kwento tungkol sa 'Kamusta kayo sa bahay?' So kapag naramdaman ko na hindi sila nagkukwento ng something personal nila, ganun din tuloy ako, hindi rin ako makapag-kwento ng buo nung akin," he said. "'Yung conversation na may depth, wala."
"Sana ma-sit down ba na I will listen to them first. Maybe I can give them the first two hours and then, pagkatapos nila, ako naman ang magsasalita for another two hours," he continued. "I want a longer conversation with them. Na walang editing. Walang editing."
Dennis frequently posts public greetings to his children through his social media accounts whenever it's their special day, and he does this to let them know that he will always be there for them.
"Para makita nila na hindi ko naman sila nakakalimutan. Although hindi naman nila kailangan mag-reply, para makita rin nila na nagri-reach out pa rin ako kahit na hindi sila nakaka-reply o hindi nila na-acknowledge yung mga greetings ko," he explained.
But there are days when he feels "frustrated" over the silent treatment.
"Sometimes, there are days mafu-fustrate ka. There are days na magagalit ka. May mga days na nagtatampo ka, pero pag dumating yung date ng Christmas, nakakalimutan ko na 'yun," he confessed.
When asked about the possible reason why his children are not reaching out to him, Dennis guessed that it has something to do with his shortcomings as a parent.
"Siguro marami rin ako naging pagkukulang sa kanila. Maybe emotionally, financially, lahat na, pinagsama-sama. Kaya lang, akin lang Julius, 'di ba, I already publicly apologized to them kung ano man yung pagkukulang ko," he said.
Nevertheless, he maintained that his love for them never diminished.
"Hopeful ako na magkaroon kami ng long talk na open and civil. Huwag na banggitin 'yung mga heartaches, ang pagkwentuhan na lang natin is 'yung buhay ko ngayon, buhay niyo ngayon," he highlighted.
Dennis' relationship with his children became strained following his separation with Marjorie in 2007. While Julia reached out for reconciliation in 2021, she expressed in a 2023 interview with Karen Davila that healing and forgiveness are ongoing processes, and she wasn't ready for such then. This got even more complicated when Dennis aired his disappointment over Julia’s statements. He has since moved on from this and continues to greet his children on special occasions.
