MARJORIE Barretto broke her silence and defended her children against the criticisms from Dennis Padilla’s siblings following the actor’s social media rants about being allegedly sidelined during the wedding of his daughter Claudia.
In a lengthy and emotional statement, the Barretto matriarch called out Dennis’ brother, Gene Padilla, for his Instagram post lamenting how Dennis and their mother, Mama Lina, were supposedly mistreated at the ceremony. Gene had claimed that they arrived early from Bulacan, only to feel left out and disrespected during the wedding.
But Marjorie was quick to correct what she said were misleading statements.
“Ano ba ang nira-rant mo Gene? First thing first, no offense, you were not invited to the wedding. Si Mama lang at si Dennis,” she said. “Kasi sa ranting niya, parang nagising pa siya ng 5 a.m. mula Bulacan, pumunta pa siya ng Alabang. Wala naman nagsabing gawin mo ‘yun Gene.”
She also accused Gene of stoking the fire instead of helping his brother process his feelings quietly. “Imbes na pinahinahom mo ‘yung kapatid mo, finuel mo pa, eh. Ina-agitate mo pa.”
Marjorie disputed claims that Mama Lina had cried out of frustration or humiliation, saying she herself personally assisted her ex-mother-in-law at the church.
“To prove to you Ogie na hindi sila inapi… Nakikita kong pababa sila, si Dennis inaakay niya si Mama maglakad. Si Dennis nasa kanan. I took her by the left… Para bigyan ng respeto si Mama,” she recalled. “She was so happy to see me. Hindi mugto ang mata ng mother-in-law ko… Saan ‘yung sinasabi ninyong inapi ‘yung nanay ninyo?”
Addressing Gene’s allegations that Dennis was left out of the ceremony, she clarified that he was never meant to be part of the wedding entourage because of their estranged relationship. “You were just really not part of our lives, so wala ka talagang makikilala dun,” she said. “Hindi ‘yun para ikagalit mo sa amin. Kasalanan mo ‘yan. You could have chosen peace over your interviews.”
Marjorie then turned her attention to Jennifer, Dennis and Gene’s sister, who is based abroad. “Jennifer, really, Jen? Grabe ang sakit ng mga sinabi mo, may wish pa na makakarma kayo balang araw. Why?”
She pointed out the irony in their accusations, especially given how, according to her, Dennis hadn’t even taken care of their mother properly. “Dennis, mabait ka ba talaga kay Mama? Hindi mo nga pinapansin si Mama eh, pinapabayaan mo nga si Mama. I know the truth.”
Defending her children from what she called unfair attacks, Marjorie lashed out: “You’re wishing karma on my children? Gene, ano pa ‘yung sinasabi mo? ‘Yung mga karangyaan n’yo, ‘yung mga kayamanan n’yo whatever… Gene, pinagta-trabahuan ng mga anak ko ‘yan, ha.”
She recounted several incidents where her children had reached out to Dennis but were met with cold responses. “Did any of my children talk bad about their father in interviews? Never! They suffer in silence. It has an effect on their mental health,” she said.
According to Marjorie, what hurt the most was seeing how the conflict affected her kids: “Dennis cries himself to sleep? Eh ‘yung mga anak ko? My crying children to sleep, nakita n’yo ‘yun? Nakita n’yo ba ‘yung effect na babatiin ng mga anak ko ng ‘happy father’s day’ ang kapatid ninyo, papadalhan ng pagkain, tapos magra-rant kaagad?”
“Wish my children ill? Sabihin ko ba sa mga anak n’yo ‘yan, sana makarma kayo? Tama ba ito?” she ended.
