Claudine Barretto and Rico Yan | Image: Instagram/@claubarretto
Claudine Barretto informed her followers that a specific quote card of her reaction to fans visiting her late former boyfriend Rico Yan‘s grave is “fake.”
Barretto took to Instagram to share a screenshot of the art card that says, “Please respeto kay Yan. Tinalo niyo pa ako sa mga pa-time lapse niyo. Wag niyo ipilit ang pag-alala kay Yan, hindi niyo naman siya naabutan. Wag niyong gawing content ang puntod niya.”
(Please respect Yan. You even try to outdo me with your time lapse videos. Don’t bother to honor Yan because you guys weren’t born yet when he was alive. Don’t make visiting his grave a social media content.)
The actress wrote in capital letters in her caption, “FAKE NEWS!!!!! [shocked emoji].”
Yan has lately made a buzz online after a series of videos on TikTok surfaced, featuring a new generation of fans who have been visiting his grave.
The late actor’s brother, Bobby, issued a statement, saying they are not yet “bothered” by those who visit his brother’s resting place, but that they would inform the public once they think otherwise.
“It’s nothing to be concerned about for now. We welcome po anyone from anywhere. We support all generations. Rico’s heart was for the youth. I imagine Rico won’t turn Gen-Z away at all. If our caretaker says it is getting bothersome to our neighbors or otherwise in (Manila Memorial Park), I shall reach out po at once,” he said.
Meanwhile, last May, Barretto did her first tell-all interview since Yan’s death 22 years ago. She recounted the timeline of events leading to her ex-boyfriend’s untimely death, affirming that “she did not cheat on him” and that “she has protected his name as possibly as she can.”
The 44-year-old actress stressed that that would be the last time she would talk about her late ex-boyfriend, although she would continue to celebrate his memory but out of the public eye.
On March 29, 2002, while on a Holy Week vacation in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Yan died in his sleep due to cardiac arrest made complicated by acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. He was 27 years old.