In a devastating moment that has shaken the entire Philippine entertainment industry, actress Julia Barretto was seen sobbing uncontrollably after hearing the final, emotional message left by her estranged father, Dennis Padilla, before his reported passing.

Though the actor’s team has yet to release an official statement confirming all details, sources close to the family have revealed a gut-wrenching and intimate scene—one filled with regret, forgiveness, and unspoken love that left Julia and those around her in absolute emotional collapse.

😭 The Final Call That Shattered Julia

According to insiders, Dennis Padilla had been in frail health in recent months, but chose to remain quiet about his condition. In the days leading up to his reported passing, he recorded a private message addressed to Julia—a daughter he had often spoken about publicly, sometimes with frustration, but always with lingering affection.

“Anak, patawad kung nasaktan kita. Hindi ako naging perpektong ama… pero mahal na mahal kita,” he allegedly said in the recording.

Those were the final words Julia reportedly heard in a private moment shared only with a few family members and friends. Witnesses say she broke down upon hearing them—a haunting mix of sorrow, reconciliation, and lost time.

💔 A Complicated Father-Daughter Relationship

For years, the relationship between Dennis Padilla and Julia Barretto had been tumultuous and public. From cryptic social media posts to interviews expressing disappointment and longing, their bond had suffered through misunderstandings, silence, and attempts at reconnection.

Many remember how Dennis often used interviews to reach out to Julia, saying he just wanted to “talk to his daughter again.” Julia, on her part, had shared how deeply the past affected her, but always maintained that healing was a process.

“I’m not ready,” Julia once said in an interview, when asked about reconciling with her father. “There’s still so much pain I’m working through.”

🕊️ A Final Act of Love and Closure

In a tragic twist of fate, Dennis’s final act was not one of bitterness—but of seeking peace. His message, though simple, carried the weight of a lifetime of unspoken words. And Julia’s reaction—raw, real, and heartbreaking—showed the depth of emotion she still carried for her father.

“She cried like a child,” said one witness who was present. “There was so much she wanted to say, but it was too late.”

🌧️ A Nation in Mourning

As news of Dennis Padilla’s reported death spread online, fans, colleagues, and fellow celebrities began pouring in tributes.

“Dennis wasn’t just a comedian, he was a father figure to so many of us in the industry,” said a former co-star.
“He had his flaws, but he had the biggest heart,” another added.

Hashtags like #RIPDennisPadilla, #ForgiveAndHeal, and #JuliaAndDennis began trending across social media, as people mourned both the man and the unfinished story between a father and his daughter.

💬 A Lesson in Humanity

This tragic moment serves as a painful reminder: life is fragile, and time waits for no one. The story of Dennis and Julia, marked by love, pain, distance, and longing, has struck a chord with many families dealing with similar struggles.

In his final breath, Dennis Padilla reminded the world that behind the fame, behind the laughter, lies the deepest desire we all carry—to be heard, forgiven, and loved.

Julia Barretto, not yet ready to forgive her father Dennis Padilla
Actress Julia Barretto admitted that she and her father Dennis Padilla haven’t spoken again because she feels scared.

In her interview with veteran journalist Karen Davila, she shared her feelings about her father.

“I’ll be very honest. We have not spoken and it’s because there’s just so much fear inside me now if I’m being very open. I’m just really scared because I feel like over the years it’s been a cycle of making up and getting hurt,” Julia said.

“And you know, I just want to kind of breathe a sigh of relief from that cycle and I’m just praying also that… I don’t know maybe in God’s time and way that we can meet in the middle without having to get hurt again,” she added. Karen also asked if the actress has forgiven her father.

“I think it’s not difficult for us to forgive. But it’s difficult to really just… It’s not the forgiveness, it’s to forget. It’s also just, there’s a lot of fear because I don’t know what’s gonna happen. But forgiveness, of course, definitely. That’s for my own peace of mind, right? I won’t deny forgiveness but I’m just not that ready. There’s just been so much pain over the years since I was young. So it’s like I got tired of the same thing.”

The 25-year-old emphasized that he just needed more love and protection from his father but he didn’t get it.

“In the commandments and the Bible, no matter what happens, they’re your parents. And I always ask God, actually, I say: ‘You know God, I know a parent is a parent and I’m only just a child but at the same time where is the boundary that a child is also allowed to get hurt and have their own pains?’” he said.

“I just need more love from him. More love, more protection. I just feel like he should be my number one protector and that’s not really what I’m getting right now from him. So it does hurt because he should be the one I’m running to, right? But it’s sad that I can’t. So I pray for it,” Julia said. “Like God, can you forgive me even if… like right now everything is not okay?”

The actress was honest that Dennis reached out but he wasn’t really ready yet.

“I won’t lie, I mean he tried I’m just not really ready and I don’t wanna force myself. Because if you force yourself then it’s not genuine, he’s not real. So I want to get to a point that, you know, when we speak it’s when I’m ready. It’s just over the years, it’s been the same conversation,” he said.

Julia and Karen also talked about Leon’s open letter to Dennis, “I was very pained but not cry.”

“I think it was because it wasn’t new. But it was more like pain because before it used to be just between my dad and I. And now it was between my younger brother and my dad. And it’s painful because sometimes if I could just spare all the pain, if I could just spare my siblings from some traumas from certain conversations,” said the actress.

Leon reportedly wrote an open letter to his father after it was reported that he was allegedly upset when his children Julia, Leon, and Claudia did not greet him on Father’s Day.

“Sorry if I wasn’t able to greet you a ‘Happy Father’s Day’. It’s always been an awkward day for us because we never seem to know where we stand with you every year,” Leon admitted. Meanwhile, Julia also said that they could still be on good terms with their father.

“Oh yeah. I think it’s possible. But I do hope though that there’s healing between everyone and that it can be resolved. But I’m not sure if it can ever be the same again. But that’s just the truth. I’m not sure if it can ever be the same again but I do hope for healing and just to be resolved.”