(From left) Dennis Padilla, Gerald Anderson, Julia Barretto. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Ogie Diaz, Instagram/@juliabarretto
Actor-comedian Dennis Padilla is determined to attend the wedding of his daughter Julia Barretto should the latter decide to tie the knot with her boyfriend, actor Gerald Anderson, in the future, even if he wouldn’t be invited.
During an interview with showbiz writer Ogie Diaz, Padilla said that supporting his daughter’s future wedding from afar should not be seen as a form of “gatecrashing,” when asked by Diaz about the possibility of Barretto and Anderson getting married.
“Kung dumating ang panahon na ikakasal ang anak mo kay Gerald, ine-expect mo na ikaw ang maghahatid kay Julia (When the time comes that Julia would eventually marry Gerald? Do you expect that you would accompany Julia to the altar)?” Diaz asked.
“Hindi naman. Kahit ‘di naman ako i-invite, pupunta pa rin ako. Pero hindi ako pupunta d’un para manggulo. Pupunta ako d’un para mapanood ‘yung anak ko kahit hindi ako ang maghatid. Gusto kong makita ikasal ‘yung anak ko. Anak ko ‘yun eh. Gatecrashing ba ‘yung nanonood sa labas ng simbahan?” he said in response.
(Not really. Even if I’m not invited, I will still watch. But I’m not going there to cause a scene. I want to go there because I want to watch my daughter, even if I wouldn’t accompany her to the altar. I want to see my daughter get married. That’s my daughter. Is it gatecrashing if I would watch outside of the church?)
The actor-comedian then emphasized that he has the right to witness his daughter’s future wedding, saying their fans would probably be watching it too.
“Bawal ba ‘yun? ‘Yung mga fans nga nila, pwedeng manood. Alangan namang lagyan nila ng blackboard ‘yung simbahan na para sila lang ang makakakita (Is it not allowed? Their fans are allowed to watch. They can’t put a blackboard at the church saying they’re the only ones who can see the event),” he said.
Padilla also said that even if he wouldn’t be entertaining any queries from reporters, he still wanted to be present for Barretto’s wedding in the future.
“Pupunta ako, magdadala ako ng bulaklak hindi para mang-asar. Feeling lang nila ‘yun. Ako, ang feeling ko ay respeto. Nirerespeto ko ang anak ko kaya magdadala ako ng bulaklak para sa kanya,” he said. “[Kahit] masama ‘yun sa inyo, nasa sa inyo na ‘yun. Ako, ginampanan ko lang ‘yung isang bagay na palagay ko ay bilang respeto at paghanga sa anak ko kaya ginawa ko ‘yun.”
“Minsan, iniisip ko na kasal ‘yun tas hindi ako imbitado? Di bale, a-attend pa rin ako kahit hindi ako invited. Magsusuot ako ng magandang damit,” he further added.
(I will go. I will bring flowers, but not to make a joke out of it. That’s what they may think. For me, it’s a form of respect. I respect my daughter, that’s why I want to bring flowers for her. Even if it’s bad in the eyes of others, that’s on them. I just fulfilled my responsibility to respect and admire my daughter. Sometimes, I wonder why I’m not even invited to that wedding. Even so, I will still attend even if I’m not invited. I will wear something nice.)
During the interview, the veteran actor also reminded Anderson that he must still keep in contact with him, as he remains to be the father of the latter’s girlfriend.
“Dapat kausapin ako ni Gerald Anderson. Kailangan ‘yun. Ako, lalaki ako. Kung may girlfriend ako, at itong girlfriend ko kaaway ‘yung tatay niya, kahit ayaw ng girlfriend ko, kakausapin ko pa rin ‘yung tatay niya,” he said.
“Baka nga plus point pa nga ‘yun sa girlfriend ko. ‘Bakit mo kinausap tatay ko eh kagalit ko ‘yun?’ Hindi, bilang respeto sa tatay mo kaya ko ginawa ‘yun. Baka lalong mapabilib girlfriend mo ‘pag ginawa mo ‘yun,” he continued.
(Gerald Anderson must talk to me. It’s important. I’m a man. If I have a girlfriend, and my girlfriend is not on good terms with her father, I will still talk to her father even if my girlfriend doesn’t want me to. It might even do him good. “Why did you talk to my father even if you know that I’m mad at him?” No, that’s a form of respect. Your girlfriend might even love you more if he does this.)
Padilla then accused Anderson of maintaining a positive image solely towards his ex-wife, actress Marjorie Barretto, saying the latter was not the only one who brought Julia to life.
“Siguro mas mahalaga sa kanya na good shot siya kay Marjorie, Pero sa’kin kahit bad shot siya okay lang. ‘Yun ang pakiramdam ko. Hindi ko alam kung totoo ‘tong nararamdaman ko pero ito ang nararamdaman ko,” he said. “Parang okay na ako, good shot na ako kay Marjorie Barreto ‘di bale nang bad shot ako kay Dennis Padilla. Papaalala ko lang sa kanya na ‘yung girlfriend mo, anak ko yan. Hindi lang si Marjorie gumawa diyan.”
(Perhaps, he thinks that it’s better for him to be on good terms with Marjorie, and that even if he’s not on good terms with me, it’s okay. That’s what I feel. I don’t know if my feelings are valid but this is what I feel. It’s like it’s good for him to be okay with Marjorie Barretto despite not being okay with Dennis Padilla. I just want to remind him that his girlfriend is my daughter. Marjorie was not the only one who brought her to life.)
Padilla’s interview comes weeks after he lamented that he only received food from his children Julia, Claudia and Leon on Father’s Day, but the gesture didn’t include any greeting from the three of them.
Barretto, who’s been in a relationship with Anderson since 2021, revealed to broadcast journalist Karen Davila that she doesn’t keep in touch with her father because there’s “just so much fear inside” in the same year. EDV