Dennis Padilla reacts to daughter Claudia Barretto's move to drop her legal surname

 Claudia Barretto has sought to legally drop her legal surname, prompting an emotional response from her father Dennis Padilla.

In a series of Instagram posts on Monday, June 8, the comedian actor shared his sadness over Claudia's decision. One of his posts included a copy of a court document showing Claudia's petition before the Regional Trial Court Branch 302 in Quezon City.

According to the document, Claudia, 26, is seeking to change her name from Claudia Isabelle Barretto Baldivia to Claudia Isabelle Barretto. The petition seeks to remove the surname "Baldivia," which is the actor's real surname. 

Dennis, 64, uses "Padilla" as his screen name in honor of his father, the late veteran actor and comedian Dencio Padilla, whose real name was Prudencio Baldivia.

While the document shared online did not disclose the full details of the petition, it indicated Claudia's intention to legally use only her mother's surname. The respondents listed in the case include the Office of the Solicitor General, the Local Civil Registrars of Quezon City and Muntinlupa City, and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The move comes months after the veteran actor publicly expressed disappointment over his experience at Claudia’s wedding to Basti Lorenzo in April 2025. At the time, he claimed he was treated more like a “visitor” than the father of the bride and said he was not given the opportunity to walk Claudia down the aisle. 

Despite the tension, Dennis later tried to reach out to his children through social media. He greeted them on Christmas Eve and has continued to post birthday messages featuring their photos on Instagram.

Claudia is Dennis' second daughter with his former wife, Marjorie Barretto. The former couple also share two other children, Julia and Leon. 

Dennis stressed that his love for his daughter remains unchanged. "Kung ang lungkot ko ay kasiyahan mo anak... Hindi magbabago ang pagmamahal ko sa'yo Claudia," he wrote.

In the caption of his post, the actor added, "Love you Claui... I respect your decision... Malungkot lang talaga." 

In another post, Dennis shared a throwback photo of himself hugging Julia and Claudia when they were still children. Alongside the photo, he wrote that his love and hopes for them remain the same, regardless of whether they carry his surname.

"If my sadness will bring joy to you, my children... My heart is full... Same love. Same Hope," he added.

This is not the first time a last name change involving one of Dennis' children has surfaced. In 2014, actress Julia Barretto also considered dropping her father's surname. However, she eventually decided not to pursue the change and retained it.

As of now, Claudia has not made any public statement about the petition or shared further details regarding the legal process. Julia has also not confirmed if she intends to follow a similar step after being mentioned by Dennis in his recent post.