Thousands Bid Final Farewell to Ateneo Rookie Bobet Baterbonia
TALACOGON, Agusan del Sur — Thousands of family members, friends, classmates, and supporters gathered on Wednesday to pay their final respects to Ateneo de Manila University rookie basketball player Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia, whose life was tragically cut short after a drowning incident during a team-building activity in Aurora province.
The 18-year-old rising basketball star was laid to rest in his hometown of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, 16 days after the June 8 tragedy that also claimed the life of fellow Ateneo Blue Eagles player Divine Adili, a 21-year-old Nigerian student-athlete.
A funeral Mass and procession drew mourners from different parts of the country, reflecting the impact Baterbonia had on the basketball community and beyond. He was buried at the new municipal cemetery, becoming its first occupant.
As her son’s casket was lowered into its final resting place, his mother, Rovelyn Baterbonia, broke down in tears and called for justice, expressing her family’s pain and frustration.
“Do not let them sleep. Will they not apologize to us just because we are poor?” she said in Cebuano.
The deaths of Baterbonia and Adili initially were treated by police as drowning incidents. However, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) later conducted a deeper investigation, saying its initial findings suggested the tragedy may not have been purely accidental.
The incident has sparked nationwide grief and renewed calls for accountability, with authorities continuing their investigation to determine whether criminal negligence or other violations contributed to the deaths of the two student-athletes.
