Martin Nievera and his son Santino. Image: Instagram/@martinnievera
Martin Nievera aired his dismay after he was not able to be with his youngest son Santino on the latter’s 17th birthday, with the singer saying he was apparently kept away from his child by “forces even stronger than God.”
“October 23, 2023 will go down in history in my life anyway as the very first time in all of Santino’s birthdays that I was not able to see him and hug him on the actual day of his birth,” Martin said on his Instagram page on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
“Oh, I was in town alright and no, I was not busy at all. I fix my whole life so that I would be here just as I do every year, but there are forces even stronger than God that kept me away!” he continued.
The Concert King said he was present at the party held for Santino, who is diagnosed with autism, prior to the kid’s birthday but that the singer did not get to spend time with the latter on his actual birthday.
While Martin opted not to give further details on what kept him from being with his son, he underscored that he hates confrontations and that he will “always choose peace over war every time.”
“I hope my son will forgive me. My whole month of October ruined in a day [because] of pride and anger and pain. Can’t get into much detail [because] I am not one to do my laundry here, but I just feel so guilty for missing this hug with my Santino and I figured venting here may help,” he said.
“I missed so many birthday hugs with my other two sons as it is so I have been trying to be better at that with Santino, but oh well that’s all ruined now,” he added, referring to his two older sons Robin and Ram Nievera.
In a separate post, Martin gave a glimpse of Santino’s pre-birthday celebration which was attended by Robin, Ram as well as Martin’s partner Anj Del Rosario.
Fans and fellow celebrities sympathized with the Concert King, while some seemed to have disagreed with his remark about “forces even stronger than God.”
Image: Instagram/@martinnievera
Image: Instagram/@martinnievera
Image: Instagram/@martinnievera
Image: Instagram/@martinnievera
Santino is Martin’s child with his former partner Katrina Ojeda. Robin and Ram, meanwhile, are Martin’s children with his ex-wife, fellow singer Pops Fernandez.
In a 2022 interview, Martin opened up about fatherhood and admitted that he has fears for the future of Santino given his condition.
“I have a special child and I am so proud—so proud and so scared at the same time because I’m not going to be here forever,” he said.