A video circulating on Facebook that purports to show the Burj Khalifa lit up in tribute to the late Filipino basketball player Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia is fabricated, and The Global Filipino Magazine (TGFM) categorically denies its authenticity.
The clip, posted by the page “Joey Inson Chatto,” shows the world’s tallest tower displaying a young man’s image alongside a name reading “Rennie Baterdonia” — a misspelling of the athlete’s name. As of posting, the video had drawn close to a million views, nearly 6,000 shares and around 16 reactions, on an account with more than 24,000 followers. Comments are split: some users praise Dubai for the supposed honour, while others doubt the footage is real.
The video bears the hallmarks of AI-generated content. Beyond the misspelled name, the uploader appended a disclaimer to the caption stating the material was “for content purposes only” and acknowledged the spelling error, writing that he would correct it and “magback2zero” (start over). The caption also pledged that any earnings from the post going viral would be given to the player’s family.
The subject of the manipulated footage is real, though the events depicted are not. Baterbonia, an 18-year-old incoming Ateneo de Manila University recruit who had just earned a varsity scholarship with the Blue Eagles, drowned on June 8 during a team-building activity at a beach in Dipaculao, Aurora. His Nigerian teammate, 21-year-old Divine Adili, also died. The Aurora Provincial Police Office determined Baterbonia’s cause of death to be asphyxia by drowning, and several agencies — including the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice — have launched inquiries. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla has said investigators found inconsistencies between accounts given by players and coaching staff.
A native of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, Baterbonia rose to national prominence after leading the Davao region to its first-ever Palarong Pambansa basketball title in 2025, where he was named Most Valuable Player, and he won gold with the national team at the 14th ASEAN School Games in Brunei. He was laid to rest in his hometown on June 24, with an estimated 5,000 mourners joining the funeral procession. The Talacogon municipal government has since declared June 8 of every year as Rene Clert Baterbonia Day.
There has been no announcement from Emaar Properties, which owns the Burj Khalifa, or any Dubai authority indicating a tribute to the athlete. Displays on the tower’s façade are tightly controlled and commercially priced. According to figures published by Arabian Business and the agency Mullen Lowe MENA, which manages the lighting, a single three-minute weekday display starts at AED 250,000, rising to AED 350,000 at weekends, while a package of five three-minute showings across an evening runs to AED 1 million. All content must be approved by Emaar and submitted weeks in advance.
The spread of fabricated footage also carries legal risk in the UAE. Under Article 52 of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes, anyone who publishes or republishes false news or misleading information that contradicts official announcements faces a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of no less than AED 100,000. The penalty rises to at least two years and a fine of no less than AED 200,000 if the act incites public opinion, spreads panic or occurs during a crisis. Legal practitioners note that the law makes no distinction between creating false content and merely sharing it, meaning those who forward or repost such material may face the same liability.
