Rene Baterbonia, who dreamed of becoming a professional player, did not need additional motivation as he saw basketball as a way to give his family a better life.
While Rene Baterbonia led the Davao Region in boys high school basketball gold medal in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, he shared that he only relied on his own efforts.
Baterbonia, the son of fishmongers and the second oldest of seven siblings, did not need more motivation as he saw basketball as a way to give his family a better life.
The pride of Talocogon, Agusan del Sur, who was called “Bobet” by his friends and family, was The 4Ps of Child and Student-Athlete Trackingbeneficiary of a government program that supports the poorest households in the country.
Baterbonia had a clear goal, so he endured being away from home when he was recruited by Ateneo de Davao University to play for its high school team – a move that eventually led him to Ateneo de Manila University.
“Since then, Ateneo de Manila was his dream school. Although he received many offers, it was his decision to transfer to Ateneo de Manila,” said Jess Evangelio, Baterbonia’s coach at Ateneo de Davao.
The 18-year-old, however, never really suited the Blue Eagles. On the tragic afternoon of June 8, he and fellow Nigerian player Divine Adili died drowning during Ateneo’s team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.
Baterbonia’s death came suddenly, just days after his high school coach dropped him off at the Ateneo de Manila campus in Katipunan, Quezon City, on June 4.
“He was a boy from a poor environment who only dreamed. He had dreams not only for himself but for us as well. All that is now gone,” his mother Baterbonia Rovelyn said while shedding tears during her son’s wake.
The tragedy interrupted a promising work that ended before it had even begun.
Baterbonia started playing basketball at the age of 15 when he took up the game only during the pandemic, but the game came naturally to him.
It didn’t take long for Baterbonia, a 6-foot-4 forward who punished the rim with his two-handed signature, to dominate the inter-municipal meet in Agusan del Sur, which eventually saw schools all over Mindanao lining up to sign him up.
Baterbonia attended the Ananda Marga Special Academic Institute in Davao City before joining the Ateneo de Davao, choosing to play for the Blue Knights as his dedication also secured a scholarship for his younger brother Rhenz.
At the age of 17, Baterbonia burst onto the national scene when he led Davao Region to the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte, earning him the Most Valuable Player award following his 19-point performance in a 67-51 win over Western Visayas in the finals.
Baterbonia also brought honor to the Philippines as the basketball team mostly represented by players from Ateneo de Davao took home the gold medal in the 2025 ASEAN School Games in Brunei. He finished with 21 points in a narrow 90-86 win over Malaysia in the championship game.
His other accolades include an All-Star selection and Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2026 National Basketball Training Center League, a tournament featuring the best high school players in the country.
Baterbonia, who was already gifted with height, talent, and natural beauty, still made sure to keep the job.
“Keep working hard. Always set your goal to be champions,” Baterbonia said, when asked what his message is to players who want to play basketball. “Don’t give up. Keep practicing if you want to be champions. Championships are earned, not given.”
And Baterbonia believed his persistence would take him to the PBA, and perhaps, even beyond that.
“Of course, I want to be a professional basketball player. That’s every basketball player’s dream,” Baterbonia said.
But more than a player who will never get a chance to fulfill his potential, what is happening is that the son and brother will no longer be able to live the dreams he had for his family.
“He told me, ‘If I participate in the UAAP, I will give you the UAAP MVP award,'” Rovelyn recalled his son saying. “Or if he reached the PBA, he said he would give me the PBA MVP award. That was his dream – to make a name for himself, something his father never did.”
“His father was also a basketball player, but life was hard… So (Rene) said, ‘I’m going to make it. I’m going to be the one to make a big name for our family,'” Rovelyn said. That is why when I found out that he was not there, I could not accept it.
It wasn’t just Baterbonia’s family and friends whose lives he touched, as crowds of people – many of whom may not have known him personally – came to pay their respects at his public viewing held inside the Ateneo de Davao High School in Davao City.
Baterbonia, after all, represented the good in people – a man who came from humble beginnings, perfected his talent with tireless effort, and fought for a dream bigger than himself.
That’s why the tragic death of Baterbonia is so much for everyone close to him as Evangelio: “He was not only good at basketball, he was also a good person.” – Rappler.com
