DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 9 June 2026) —The distraught mother Talacogon, Agusan del Sur basketball standout recruited to play ball for Ateneo de Manila University said she had no idea what kind of training program her son would have to take part in after he signed up to be a Blue Eagle.
In a Facebook post uploaded about 9 a.m. Tuesday by Agusan del Sur governor Santi Barriga Cane,Jr, Rovelyn Baterbonia said had she known, she wouldn’t have allowed her son to go.
“Wala mi nila gi orient nga ‘ma’am pag moanhi imong anak naa mi training ing-ana, ing-ana, ing-ana. Kung gipasabot lang ko nila nga naa na, di ko mosugot. Bahala’g magkalisod mi dli nako siya i-adto didto (We were not given an orientation about the training he would have to go through. Had I known I wouldn’t have allowed him to go. Nevermind our predicament, I wouldn’t have permitted it),” Baterbonia told Cane.
Baterbonia, who departed for Manila early Tuesday morning, said she would have wanted to bring her son home as soon as possible but said she was told by a staff from the university that they would have to wait for three days to process the documents.
Rene Clert Baterbonia, 19, and teammate Divine Adili, 21, drowned Monday afternoon during a Blue Eagles team building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.
Rene Baterbonia, the most-valuable player (MVP) of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, played for DAVRAA Eagles along with other players from Ateneo de Davao University during the Palarong Pambansa held in his home province last month.
Rene’s mother Rovelyn had taken to Facebook at about 3 a.m. Tuesday to lament the demise of her son.
“Hanggang ngayon, wala pa talagang binigay na balita sa totoong nangyari at kung nasaan na ang anak ko’ng si Rene Clert Baterbonia at bakit na umabot sa ganoon (Up to nowwe havn’t been told what exactly happened to my son and where he is now),” she added.
She recently posted that Rene’s death was an “ugly gift” (kapangit sa regalo) to his brother Raffy, who today, Tuesday, is celebrating his birthday.
In a statement, the university said that they are providing support to the families of Rene and Divine, as well as to their teammates and members of the Ateneo community affected by the tragedy.
“The entire Ateneo community mourns the loss of Rene and Divine. The University extends its heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, teammates, coaches, and loved ones. We ask the community to keep them in their prayers during this most difficult time,” ADMU said in the statement. (Razl EJ Teman/MindaNews)
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