(From left) Leren Bautista, Ricci Rivero. Images: Instagram/@lerenmaebautista, Instagram/@ricciiirivero
Ricci Rivero and beauty queen-turned-politician Leren Bautista revived dating rumors after they were spotted together at a shopping mall.
A grainy picture of the two checking out plushie toys inside what appeared to be a mall store was uploaded on X (Twitter) last Aug 17 by fan account @slayramonaaa, in which they were wearing face masks, with Rivero even wearing a baseball cap and dark aviator glasses.
“Sana ol (wish that too),” the post read.
Image: Screengrab from X/@slayramonaaa
Some netizens claimed that Bautista was indeed the woman in the photo, with some referring to her as “konse,” a short for “councilor.” She is currently serving as councilor of Los Baños, Laguna.
Meanwhile, one @jamisejoin even posting a side-by-side photos of the two for comparison.
Image: Screengrab from X/@jamisejoin
Speculations about the two’s alleged romance emerged in June, after Bautista shared on her Instagram Story a photo of Rivero, who subsequently came under fire from fans for cheating on his then girlfriend, actress Andrea Brillantes.
Rivero and Brillantes eventually separated for good, which the former not being able to shake off allegations of his duplicity.
While he denied the allegations, Kapamilya actress claimed that she personally witnessed a naked woman inside Rivero’s apartment. To his own defense, the baller insisted that the woman was “not his.”
Meanwhile, the Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2019 titleholder’s camp denied any romantic involvement with Rivero in an official statement, saying that the rumors were “entirely false and have no basis in reality.” EDV