The covered courts at Ateneo de Davao University’s senior high school campus in Bangkal, Davao City, will carry the name of Rene “Bobet” Baterbonia, the standout basketball player who died earlier this month, in a move meant to anchor his memory to the very space where he honed his game.
University president Fr. Karel San Juan announced the renaming on Sunday night, June 14, the closing day of Baterbonia’s wake at the campus, as reported by Super Radyo Davao and MindaNews. The facility will be designated the Rene Bobet Baterbonia Covered Courts, abbreviated RBBCC — a label San Juan said the school’s Board of Trustees, chaired by Benjamin A. Lizada, had agreed to approve.
San Juan explained that the tribute would go beyond the name itself. Photographs of Baterbonia in action would also be mounted at the venue so that students who pass through it continue to recognize the athlete who once practiced and competed there.
“Ang pangalan niya, pati ‘yung kanyang pictures…na naglalaro…Ilalagay din namin ang photos ni Bobet doon at forever naming maaalala si Bobet Baterbonia sa pamamagitan ng covered courts,” San Juan said, noting that Baterbonia was rarely seen out of his PE uniform and jersey.
The court bears personal weight for the Jesuit priest’s narrative of the young player’s time at AdDU. Baterbonia, a member of the senior high school’s Class of 2026 and the 2025 Palarong Pambansa Most Valuable Player, both graduated and trained on that ground — a connection San Juan invoked when he addressed mourners in a mix of Tagalog and Cebuano.
The renaming follows a separate announcement San Juan delivered a night earlier, after a Mass on Saturday, June 13, at the Christ the King Chapel on the same Bangkal campus. There, he told the congregation that AdDU would shoulder full scholarships for Baterbonia’s six younger siblings, covering their schooling from basic education through college. The university president said the decision grew out of a conversation that afternoon with the athlete’s parents and answered a goal Baterbonia had long held for his family.
Baterbonia, 18, drowned on June 8 alongside Ateneo Blue Eagles teammate Divine Adili, a 21-year-old student-athlete from Nigeria, during a team-building activity at a resort in Dipaculao, Aurora. He had recently committed to the Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball program after building his reputation in high school competition.
Authorities have characterized the incident as accidental. The Aurora Police Provincial Office said its initial investigation turned up no indication of foul play, with players caught by strong currents while in the water. That account has since drawn scrutiny: Baterbonia’s mother, Rovelyn, has pressed for answers about why the activity took place in the sea, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has said its probe is now examining whether the deaths could amount to homicide or hazing.
