Ysabel Ortega to distant dad Lito Lapid: ‘I hope he’s proud of who I am’

Image: Instagram/@ysabel_ortega

Teen actress Ysabel Ortega only has one wish: to reconnect and make more happy memories with her dad Lito Lapid.

Ortega said that she and her father were very close when she was little, but all of that changed since they do not have direct communication with each other anymore. She made this admission to Boy Abunda in an interview on his talk show “Tonight with Boy Abunda” which aired Tuesday, May 2.

“I don’t have direct contact with my father, so I contact his aide…” the young actress said as she tried to fight back tears. “Of course po, I always think of my dad.”

“So whenever it’s his birthday, you know I always make it a point to greet him,” Ortega went on. “And every holidays, lagi ko pa rin pong binabati (I still always greet him), and of course hoping that someday, I get to see him again.”

Despite Lapid not reciprocating her efforts, the 19-year-old declared she still loves him and respects him as her dad. “He’s one of the reasons why I joined showbiz because I look up to him,” she confessed. “He’s one of my role models and I’m very proud to have him as my father.”

Ortega gave this message to her “papa”: “I really miss you and nandito lang po ako (I’m just right here). No matter what happens, I will always be here and I will always be your daughter and I will always love you and I will always have time, always have respect for you.”

Ortega added, “I hope he’s proud of who I am, of hopefully what I will be.”

The young actress is the daughter of Lapid with former singer and current Department of Social Welfare and Development Assistant Secretary Michelle Ortega. Her mother got married in January to Directorate for Intelligence of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Gregorio Pimentel.

President Rodrigo Duterte was a principal sponsor in the wedding. Katrina Hallare/JB

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