Marjorie Barretto has broken her silence to address allegations made by her ex-partner Dennis Padilla, regarding his supposed “mistreatment” during their daughter, Claudia Barretto’s recent wedding.
In a candid interview on Ogie Diaz’s YouTube vlog uploaded over the weekend, Marjorie debunked Dennis’s publicized claims on social media that he was disrespected and snubbed during the church wedding ceremony of their daughter Claudia with her longtime boyfriend Basti Lorenzo.
The celebrity mom revealed that Claudia initially rejected to invite her father to her wedding due to their estranged relationship. Marjorie said she had to persuade their daughter to extend the invitation out of respect.
“Kino-convince ko siya [Claudia] na the right thing to do is to invite the father. God knows. Alam ng mga anak ko. Sometimes it caused friction. Kasi ‘di sila friends, estranged sila,” Marjorie explained.
Eventually, Claudia agreed—but with a firm condition: Dennis would not walk her down the aisle, despite it being a traditional role for fathers at weddings.
“Pinabayaan ko siya for days then one day, she told me, ‘Okay, we’ll, I’ll invite him, but I don’t want him to walk me down the aisle.’ I hope my daughter is not judged here,” she said.
Marjorie advised her daughter to personally inform Dennis of her decision to walk down the aisle alone, which they discussed during a family meeting weeks before the wedding where Dennis met with their children Claudia, Julia, and Leon, as well as Dennis’ mother, Lina.
During their meeting, Claudia presented her two requests: to keep the wedding private and to walk by herself during the ceremony—both of which Dennis initially agreed to, according to Marjorie.
She emphasized that if Dennis objected to those requests, the invitation might have been withdrawn for the sake of her children’s “mental health”.
“Because if he did not agree to those requests ng anak niya. Kung sinabi niya, ‘Hindi, gusto ko mag-post. Hindi, dapat ako mag walk down the aisle.’ Hindi na matutuloy ‘yung invitation. No offense to anyone. This is the mental health of my children,” said Marjorie.
She also explained why she joined Claudia on her walk halfway down the aisle, citing it as a wedding tradition involving the veil.
Refuting Dennis’ claim that he was mistreated, Marjorie said he was warmly welcomed by her family and was even given a front-row seat. She added that Dennis chose to isolate himself and assumed a “victim” stance from the beginning.
“He was warmly greeted by my family. If Dennis felt out of place, nobody made you feel like that. He was supposed to sit in the front rows with the ninongs. The front row is the prime seat. Huwag natin sabihin ginagawa kang bisita. But Dennis from the beginning nagpa-victim na. Doon umupo sa gilid sa likod.”
“He was causing a commotion. He was pacing, walking and walking, complaining,” Marjorie recalled the incident. “Tumataas ang boses mo, Dennis. They had to ask you to please lower your voice.”
She added that when Dennis could not be pacified prompting him to be politely asked by family members to take the discussion outside.
“I know how Dennis is. Short-tempered, explosive, walang pakialam sa breeding, manners, whatever,” she described her former partner.
According to Marjorie, tensions reached a peak during the ceremony itself. While guests were emotional as Claudia walked down the aisle, Dennis was allegedly upset over not being chosen to escort the bride.
“Bakit ang iniiyak mo yung hindi ka nakalakad?” she questioned Dennis. “This is not about you… Wala sa lugar ang mga iniiyak mo.”
She reiterated that while Dennis was invited as Claudia’s father, and that no special roles were promised to him during the wedding. Instead, Claudia had specifically chosen her mother to join her down the aisle, explaining: “Because you’re my mother? Because you raised me.”
Marjorie firmly defended her position and involvement in her daughter’s special day, asserting: “I raised my child single-handedly, Dennis. I did everything for that daughter. I deserved that seat in the front.”
She did not hold back in describing her ex-partner: “Maangas ka, Dennis. Maangas ka, Dennis Padilla.”
Marjorie also addressed accusations made by Dennis’s siblings, Gene and Jennifer Baldivia, denying that their mother was disrespected during the ceremony.
“She hugged me. She kissed me. She was happy to see me. Hindi mugto ang mata niya,” she said, dismissing claims that the elder woman had cried due to being mistreated.
Marjorie also detailed how Dennis allegedly sent negative messages to Claudia during the wedding, including an accusatory text the morning after: “Kaninong pakana ‘to, Claui? Ikaw ba o nanay mo?”
“Imagine mo yun. Nate-terrorize yung mga bata,” Marjorie said, visibly upset.
Despite the emotional toll, Marjorie affirmed that Dennis was not excluded from the celebration, saying that he was able to share moments with the newlyweds, as well with his own children.
