MANILA, Philippines — The camp of beauty queen-turned-politician Leren Bautista denied that the she's the third party behind the breakup of Ricci Rivero and Andrea Brillantes.
In a statement released yesterday, Leren's camp said that it's unfair to drag the Los Baños councilor to the breakup.
"We would like to address the disinformation that has been circulating across social media platforms regarding Councilor Leren and her alleged romantic involvement with basketball player Ricci Rivero. We want to make it clear that these claims are entirely false and have no basis in reality," the statement said.
"Councilor Leren Mae Bautista has dedicated herself to serving the community of Los Baños with utmost sincerity and integrity. Her commitment to public service has been shaped by the support and trust of the people she represents," it added.
The office of the councilor also said that though Leren and Ricci partnered in an outreach program, it does not indicate a romantic relationship between the two.
"The recent outreach activity in which Councilor Leren participated with Ricci Rivero is not an indication of a romantic relationship between them. The event was organized as part of Councilor Leren’s ongoing efforts to serve the people and contribute to the welfare of her community," the statement said.
"The video that went viral, depicting Ricci’s belated celebration with his friends, whose numerous other invited individuals joined, was taken down due to concerns about potential misinterpretation by viewers.
"We encourage everyone to refrain from creating malicious and insinuating comments on social media. Likewise, we call on everyone to understand the importance of fact-checking information shared across various internet platforms."
Last week, Ricci did not explicitly say that he and Andrea have broken up, but he asked for privacy to "preserve what's left of our friendship."
"I hope let’s stop creating your own versions and dragging other characters into these false accusations," Ricci said. "I am sorry for whatever disappoinments it may have caused you — for everyone’s peace of mind, please allow ourselves to heal and move on peacefully without hate and pain."
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