In a deeply emotional and heart-wrenching moment, actress Julia Barretto was seen visiting the grave of her late father, comedian-actor Dennis Padilla. The unexpected appearance of the young star at the cemetery brought waves of emotion, as witnesses described a scene filled with grief, quiet reflection, and unspoken pain.

A Daughter’s Pain, A Father’s Absence

Julia arrived quietly, wearing a black jacket and a solemn expression. With no entourage, no cameras, and no fanfare, she knelt by her father’s tombstone—marking perhaps the first public display of grief since their complicated and widely-publicized falling out years ago.

“You could see the pain in her eyes. She stayed there for a long time, just staring at the grave. She wiped away her tears with shaking hands,” said one bystander at the scene.

The Rift That Made Headlines

Julia and Dennis’s estranged relationship has long been a subject of public discussion, with both airing their side of the story in various interviews. Many fans hoped for reconciliation, but it seemed fate had other plans. Dennis’s passing left an unresolved ache—an absence now felt more deeply than ever.

“It was the silence that said it all,” a witness said. “You could feel she had so much to say, but there was no one left to hear it.”

A Moment That Moved Everyone

People at the cemetery paused to give Julia privacy, but a few couldn’t hold back their own tears. Flowers were laid, candles were lit, and a handwritten letter was left at the tomb—a letter that she folded slowly before placing beside his photo.

A Message Beyond Words

Though no official statement has been released by Julia, her actions spoke louder than any post or press release. It was a daughter’s final goodbye—one laced with sorrow, perhaps regret, and most certainly, love.

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.

“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 discussed 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.”