Claudia Barretto files petition to remove father Dennis Padilla's surname

Claudia Barretto has filed a legal petition seeking to remove Dennis Padilla’s surname from her name and retain only the Barretto family name of her mother, Marjorie Barretto.

In a series of Instagram posts on Monday, June 8, Padilla reacted with sadness to his daughter’s decision and shared a legal document showing “Claudia Isabelle Barretto Baldivia” as the petitioner in a request to drop the surname “Baldivia,” Dennis Padilla’s real surname.

Dennis adopted the surname “Padilla” as a screen name to honor his father, the late veteran actor and comedian Dencio Padilla, whose real name was Prudencio Baldivia.

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The document also listed the Office of the Solicitor General, the Local Civil Registrars of Quezon City and Muntinlupa City, and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as respondents.

In the caption of his post, Dennis wrote, “Kung ang lungkot ko ay kasiyahan mo anak… Hindi magbabago ang pagmamahal ko syo Claudia – Papa.”

(If my sadness is your happiness, my child… My love for you Claudia will never change – Papa.)

The celebrity dad added, “Love you Claui… I respect your decision… Malungkot lang talaga (It’s just really sad).”

In a separate Instagram post, the comedian shared an old photo with daughters Julia and Claudia when they were still children.

“If my sadness will bring joy to you, my children… My heart is full… Same Love, Same Hope,” he wrote.

The name petition came after Dennis had a controversial outburst at the wedding of Claudia with Basti Lorenzo, the son of business tycoon Martin Ignacio Lorenzo, and the brother of actress Erich Gonzales’ husband, Mateo Lorenzo, in April 2025.

At the time, Padilla aired his dismay for being supposedly treated as a “visitor” and not as the father of the bride at the event, lamenting that he was not able to walk her daughter down the aisle.