In the recent virtual press conference for his movie Sanggano, Sanggago’t Sanggwapo 2: Aussie! Aussie! O Sige!, Dennis Padilla revealed that he and his daughter, Julia Barretto, are in the process of rebuilding their relationship.
He was asked how his ties with his children are, and he answered: "Okay naman, although siyempre para kang nagsisimula ulit. Galing kami sa misunderstanding so now nagsisimula pa lang kami. One step at a time, building it up again."
He explained that communication is key in the rebuilding process, saying that it was important that they were able to share what they felt as opposed to bottling them up. "Kailangan lang talagang open 'yung communication para lahat ng nararamdaman mo nasasabi mo na kaagad, hindi mo napupuno," he explained.
He continued: "So ganoon din sa side nila, kailangan naka-open 'yung communication at tuluy-tuloy para meron kayong magandaang napag-uusapan, may magandang napupuntahan 'yung mga topics ninyo."
When asked if he was able to spend the holidays with his Barretto children, Dennis said that they were only able to talk via video call. "Tawagan lang, video call. Batian lang. Siguro kami nila Julia, after New Year na kami mag-di-dinner kasi they were so busy din and may mga business pa sila on the side. Eh busy din ako. So sabi ko after the Christmas season [na lang]," he shared.
Dennis and Julia have had a strained relationship over the years, though they were able to briefly reconcile after the 59-year-old actor's hospitalization for COVID-19. In May 2021, Julia uploaded a vlog where she interviewed her father about past conflicts and life lessons.