FACT-CHECK: Putin did not offer help in Rene Baterbonia’s case

admin 8:19 AM

CLAIM: Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance in Rene Baterbonia’s case.

 

RATING: FALSE

 

A fake quote misattributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he supposedly offered assistance to solve the late student athlete Rene Baterbonia’s case, has spread on Facebook.

Flagged content: The fake graphic bore an “official statement” and “a message from Russia” header, and used the official logo of the Russian Mission to the OSCE, to falsely imply that its content came from a legitimate source.

  • The Facebook user captioned the fake graphic with “you are a blessing to all Filipinos Mr. Putin #JusticeForRene, #JusticeForDivine, #WeWillNotStopForBobet.”
  • It was posted to a Facebook group dedicated to Baterbonia. 

Our debunk: A search of the Kremlin website, the official web portal of the President of the Russian Federation, yielded no results regarding any statement made by Putin about Baterbonia.

  • The most recent engagement between Putin and the Philippines was when he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a joint statement following the Asean-Russia Summit on June 18 in Kazan, Russia. 
  • The joint statement did not mention Baterbonia. 

Rewind: On June 8, Ateneo de Manila University confirmed that two of its student athletes, Baterbonia and Divine Adili, had died in a drowning incident during a team-building activity of the Blue Eagles basketball coaching staff in Dipaculao, Aurora.

  • Blue Eagles coach Tab Baldwin was placed under public scrutiny following the incident, and he resigned on June 15 after a public apology.
  • Following an inquiry into his employment status, the Department of Labor and Employment found Baldwin and Ateneo liable for work permit violations, ordering them to pay a ₱4.9 million fine.

Why we fact-checked this: The fake graphic has amassed 3,500 reactions, 428 comments, and 239 shares.

  • While some recognized the graphic as fake, most people in the comments section still believed Putin had made the statement.
  • These commenters thanked Putin and expressed hope that justice would soon be served for Baterbonia.

Spot the fake: Baterbonia has repeatedly been a subject of online disinformation since the incident, and PressOne.PH fact-checked related claims before. 

  • Be cautious of unverified posts about Baterbonia, and always verify information against official sources before sharing.
  • When a statement is attributed to a foreign leader or official, the best way to verify it is to check the official website or verified channels of their government. Leigh San Diego


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