Businesswoman and celebrity mom Dani Barretto did not hold back after her stepfather, Dennis Padilla, reacted to her recent statements about her childhood during her guest appearance on Kylie Verzosa’s podcast, ‘Almost Honest.’
During the podcast, Dani opened up about witnessing her mother, Marjorie Barretto, go through difficult moments in her past relationship.
“Nasanay kami doon. We saw the yelling, we heard every yelling, the screaming, everything my mom went through. Tumatak sa amin ‘yon di ba? Mga bata kami noon, but that stayed with us,” Dani shared.
She also spoke about how seeing her mother leave an unhealthy situation shaped her and her siblings into strong women.
“Because she did that, I feel like that’s why we’re all strong women eh. I feel like all of us magkakapatid feeling ko kaya matatapang or yung personality namin strong kasi nakita namin sa mom namin that you can leave situations like this,” she said.
Dani added, “You are allowed to leave situations lalo na if you know you’re abused or being hurt or not valued. Pwede hindi ka trapped. You are allowed kahit very mahirap yung process of leaving or getting out or you have to start again.”
However, Dennis reacted in the comments section of the viral podcast clip and hinted that he would respond point-by-point to Dani’s statements.
“Dani… Abangan mo sagot ko… Point by point… Mula nung nasa tyan ka pa ng nanay mo…I felt abused,” Dennis wrote.
He added, “I felt liberated nung nakawala ako sa relationship na sinasabi mo.. Huwag masyadong mayabang.. Wala kang alam… Half lang alam mo..”
Dani later issued a lengthy response addressing Dennis directly.
“I think you’re forgetting we all lived in the same house. That we woke up to your screams almost every morning. Kung hindi si mom sinisigawan mo, one of the help,” she replied.
“This is what you always do, use social media to ‘defend’ yourself and spread more lies and gaslight your children and now me. You keep pushing this narrative na kinawawa ka. Weren’t you the abusive one?” she continued.
Dani further claimed that Dennis would allegedly yell regardless of where they were.
“Kahit nasaan tayo — sa mall, sa grocery — wala kang pinipiling lugar para may sigawan. Default mo ’yan noon hanggang ngayon. Di ba tatawag ka sa mga anak mo mostly madaling araw kasi lasing ka para murahin at sigawan lang sila?” she stated.
She ended her response by saying, “Enough is enough. All your kids know who you are. That’s why most of them have no communication with you — because you burned bridges with each of them.”
As of writing, Dennis has yet to release another statement regarding Dani’s response.
Meanwhile, netizens remain divided over the exchange, with some expressing support for Dani while others believe Dennis should also be given the opportunity to fully explain his side.
