Dennis Padilla asks public to spare brother Gene from criticisms amid public spat with the Barrettos
Dennis Padilla asked the public to spare his brother Gene Padilla from bashing after the latter expressed support for him amid his public spat with his ex-wife Marjorie Barretto and their children.
"Sa mga bashers... Pls spare my brother," the comedian said in the comments section of Gene's Instagram post on April 14. "Itodo nyo na lang sa akin... God bless you more."
In another comment, Dennis told his little brother that he did nothing wrong.
"Dear Gene... Wala kang mali... Nagbigay ka lang ng suporta sa akin... Dahil naramdaman mo ako... Salamat," he said.
In his post, Gene shared portraits of himself with the caption, "It’s okay if you say hurtful things. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you—but I still choose to send you love, peace, and prayers for healing."
Comments on Gene's photos have been limited.
Alleged incident at Claudia's wedding
Dennis made the rounds online after he complained about being treated as a "guest" instead of the father of the bride at his daughter Claudia's wedding with her longtime partner Basti Lorenzo.
In a Facebook post later in the day, Gene expressed shock and disbelief that Dennis wasn’t included in the wedding program and that the latter allegedly wasn't informed about it beforehand. He stressed that what makes their family different from the Barrettos is their heart and dignity, which money and status can't buy.
"Puro kayo karangyaan at kasikatan, sa inyo na lahat 'yan. Sanay kami sa hirap at 'di talaga kami nababagay sa inyo, pero pinagkaiba namin sa inyo ay 'yung puso namin at dignidad na 'di niyo kayang pantayan. Kahit magtanong kayo sa ibang magulang, tama ba o mali ang ginawa niyo sa tatay niyo?"
"'Di pala father of the BRIDE! Guest of the BRIDE!!!" he added.
Gene added in the comment section, "'Di nagpapansin kapatid ko sa inyo, longing sa inyo sa atensiyon at pagmamahal. Sobra na kayo!"
In an interview with talent manager Ogie Diaz, Marjorie noted that Claudia informed Dennis that she didn't want him to walk her down the aisle when they reunited ahead of their wedding.
At the same time, she called out Gene for his online post, noting that he wasn't invited in the first place.
"Ano ba nirarant mo, Gene?" she said. "First things first, Gene, no offense, you were not invited to the wedding. Si Mama lang at si Dennis."
Gene's initial remarks about the wedding brouhaha got mixed reactions online.
Comedian Kitkat, in a Facebook post on April 13, shared an art card about Marjorie's clarification. "Natawa lang ako kasi nasopla si Gene," she said. "Di ka naman pala invited kasi Gene hahahah."
"Sawsawero," a social media user commented.
Others, meanwhile, were more sympathetic and offered virtual hugs, including actor-model Boom Labrusca and entrepreneur Rei Anicoche Tan.
A commenter also described him as a "genuine human" in the same thread.
Dennis' rift with his children started after his split from Marjorie in 2007. Leon previously penned an open letter to him, revealing that he and his sisters had been trying to get past their rift, but Dennis just kept adding fuel to the fire by airing his concerns about them online. Julia said she reached out for reconciliation in 2021, but 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.
