DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The death of 19-year old basketball prodigy Rene Clert Baterbonia sent shockwaves through the basketball community, particularly in Mindanao, who join the family in search for answers.
Baterbonia was a promising young athlete who rose from the Ateneo de Davao Senior High varsity and represented Davao in the national competitions.
He was recently recruited by the Blue Eagles basketball team of Ateneo de Manila University, but was among two athletes who drowned during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
Divine Adili, 21, a Nigerian who played for the Blue Eagles last season, was the other fatality.
AdMU released a statement that day confirming their deaths, describing it as a drowning incident.
But Baterbonia’s family, along with the public, want deeper explanations.
Unanswered questions
Baterbonia’s parents arrived in Manila on Tuesday, and in a press conference after seeing her son’s body in Arlington Memorial, Rene’s mother Rovelyn said there are still unanswered questions.
“Hindi na mabubuhay ang anak ko sa sorry niyo, (Apologies cannot bring back my son),” she said during her talk with the assistant coaches from AdMU. “Bigyan niyo lang ako ng clear na explanation na sa sarili ko matanggap ko na aksidente lang talaga, (Just give me a clear explanation that I can accept that what happened was an accident)” she told reporters.
She expressed frustration over what she described as gaps in communication following the tragedy. She told reporters she only received messages from AdMU’s assistant coaches only once informing her that Rene died.
“Ni isa sa kanila wala nagpadala ng picture (Not one of them sent me a photo).”
She also asked why there are bruises found in Rene’s upper body, which would be subject to an autopsy.
Earlier, Rovelyn questioned why the training happened in Dipaculao, an issue that spurred discussions online.
Sports fans replayed past interviews online where three former Blue Eagles’ players describe some kind of “boot camp” training in Dipaculao where they conducted activities on the beach. One of the varsity players nearly drowned as he was not a swimmer and was rescued by coach Tab Baldwin.
The Aurora Police Provincial Office presented their initial findings and said four athletes were reportedly carried away by strong currents during their activity at 2:30 pm of June 8. Two were immediately rescued but Baterbonia and Adili went missing for several minutes.
Police have secured a video recording from the resort where the team-building activity took place and will examine the footage relevant for further investigation.
Reviews
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will convene a review with stakeholders including Commission on Higher Education, Department of Education, National Youth Commission, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
PSC Chair Patrick Gregorio clarified that the panel is not a criminal investigative body and will not duplicate the work of law enforcement agencies.
“Our role is to understand what happened and to understand how and to agree that this should not happen again,” Gregorio said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
The panel said it intends to review existing policies governing off-campus sports activities, coaching standards, athlete safety protocols, and emergency response measures.
Gregorio said descriptions of the training activity that have circulated publicly did not appear to align with existing standards enforced by sports governing bodies.
UAAP Director Atty. Rebo Saguisag added that it is up to ADMU on what measures they will take on their coach and team prior to the opening of UAAP Season 89.
Ateneans react
But the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili weigh heavy on the Ateneo community, as some raised questions on how the Blue Eagles will face the UAAP tournament.
The Buklod Atenista, the consortium of the five student governments of the Ateneo universities, released a statement calling for accountability and transparency from the AdMU administration on this incident.
“In moments such as these, institutions often call for patience while withholding crucial details from the very communities they are accountable to. This is one of those moments,” the statement said.
“The Ateneo de Manila University cannot ask the community to place its trust in institutional processes while simultaneously withholding the information necessary for that trust to be earned. The question before the community is not simply what happened. The question is whether this tragedy could have been prevented,” the consortium added.
Wake in Davao
Baterbonia’s former coach Jess Evangelio, who joined his parents in Manila, announced that Baterbonia’s remains would be brought to Ateneo de Davao Senior High School on June 12, during his wake, allowing friends, classmates, teachers, teammates, and supporters to pay their final respects.
“Rene touched so many lives through his kindness, hard work, and love for the game,” Evangelio said in a Facebook post.
Adili, meanwhile, will be flown to Nigeria as per his family’s request.
Baterbonia hailed from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur and with a towering height at 6’4″, was among the young basketball prospects recruited to study for Ateneo de Davao University Senior High School and play for its varsity the Ateneo Blue Knights.
He later emerged as Davao Region’s top young athlete during the Palarong Pambansa, leading Davao to its first basketball title in 2025 and earning the Most Valuable Player award.
He also was part of the Philippine Boys Team in the 14th ASEAN Schools Game 2025 in Brunei, scoring 21 points against Malaysia to secure the country’s gold medal.
After graduating from ADDU Senior High, Baterbonia had just arrived in ADMU on June 4, preparing for his collegiate playing career. His coach and parents shared that his dream was to earn the MVP in the UAAP and one day play in the Philippine Basketball Association.(davaotoday.com)
