IT took 18 hours for Rene Baterbonia’s funeral convoy to travel from Davao City to Talacogon, Agusan del Sur. On an ordinary day, this trip would have taken just five hours. Crowds gathered along the Maharlika Highway cheering “MVP! MVP!” and “Hustisya!” Every LGU along the path of the funeral convoy prepared posters and LED screens honoring the late Rene Baterbonia.
I have been so moved by the life and death of this young man. He said he’s just a kid with big dreams. June 8, the day of the drowning, was actually the first time I ever heard of his name, Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia. As I followed the developments and reports surrounding the tragic drowning of Bobet and fellow Ateneo basketball teammate Divine Adili with tears, frustration, anger, I felt I knew him well enough. There are many videos of him and his teammates. He was a good kid.
The tears and screams of the grieving mother, Rovelyn, will stay with me. During a stop at the provincial capitol, Rovelyn said, “I’m really touched that people from one year old to 90 years old share our grief. Thank you so much because even if we’re just like this (poor) our voice has been heard in the entire Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.... Thanks for everything, the help. We can never repay you.”
In an interview the morning they arrived in Talacogon, Rovelyn described the way she raised her kids. She emphasized discipline in mind and body and did not hold back from spanking if necessary. The kids do house chores. They pursue whatever they’re good at. They help each other at home where the walls are lined by Rene’s basketball medals. Her eldest son is a champion archer. Her younger son is also a basketball protégé. Sports is important to the family. And for Rene, it was a way out of poverty. The father also had unrealized basketball dreams.
Rene’s high school basketball coach Jess Evangelio said 30 schools recruited Rene for Senior High School ranging from Davao to Manila. Some offered better financial allowance and wider opportunities. But Rene chose Ateneo de Davao for Senior High School because their offer included a scholarship for his younger brother RB. He did everything to help his family. Being drafted by the Ateneo Blue Eagles and studying in Ateneo de Manila was the path he dreamed of for a professional career in basketball.
With all the troubling questions surrounding the death of Baterbonia and Adili, it is no wonder that this story has captured our attention. The CIDG is conducting an investigation. Ateneo de Manila set up its own fact-finding body. Beyond the circumstances of his death, it is the story of his life and what it represents that captured our collective spirit. His story resonated with Filipinos for several reasons:
– Rene was a symbol of hope. The modest background of the Baterbonia family was evident in all the photos and videos of their home. He was from a family of seven children. His mother is a fish vendor. His father is a tricycle driver. The Baterbonias were beneficiaries of the DSWD’s 4Ps program (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program). Through talent, discipline and education he became an excellent basketball player, earning a Most Valuable Player title at the Palarong Pambansa. Filipinos saw that discipline and dedication could overcome poverty.
– His was a promise of a dream cut short. Paghihinayang or deep regret. Rene died just as his dreams were coming true, recruited by his dream school to play collegiate basketball at 18. Four days into moving to Manila, he drowned during a training camp in Dipaculao, Aurora. The stark contrast from beginning a bright future to a sudden and avoidable death made the tragedy even more heartbreaking for Filipinos, hence the cry for justice.
– The circumstances surrounding his death shocked the nation and raised a lot of questions. There are calls for accountability and investigations. The beaches near Baler are known to be treacherous. The design of the training is being questioned as well.
– The cry of the mother during interviews and her gut-wrenching wail at the Arlington funeral home deeply shook the Filipino public, especially mothers. Her pain catalyzed a public outcry that was unforeseen. People empathized with Rovelyn Baterbonia, especially when she had so many unanswered questions.
– The dignity in the humility of Rene’s mother is worth emulating. Rene is undoubtedly a role model to many young people, but his mom also earned the reverence of many. She has said repeatedly, we may be poor but we are rich in respect.
– Basketball is the Philippines’ most popular sport. Rene already had loyal fans even before choosing Ateneo de Manila. His ascent from being just a (poor) boy with big dreams to being an AdMU Blue Eagles was well-documented. Many Mindanaoans felt they were part of his journey and were rooting for him.
– Rene’s being a poor “probinsyano” recruited to play for an elite institution in Manila brought back many feelings of injustice, inequitableness and favoritism. It further etched a deep divide socially, culturally, and even politically.
– The weeklong silence of Ateneo de Manila was perceived by Rene’s mom as disrespect. And that is the last thing any struggling family should ever have to deal with.
In many ways, Rene Baterbonia "broke us all" because we did not just mourn a basketball player. We mourned a son, a dreamer and a symbol of hope whose journey reflected the aspirations of many Filipinos.
