The grieving mother of Ateneo basketball recruit Rene Baterbonia is calling for a full inquiry into how her 19-year-old son died during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, raising pointed questions about the safety measures in place at the camp.
Rovelyn Baterbonia told GMA News and News 5 that she believes something is deeply wrong with the official account. She said her son’s body was covered in bruises, and when asked directly whether she suspected foul play, she answered that she did.
A central source of her grief is what the training actually involved. Rene was a basketball player, not a swimmer, and she cannot understand why the activity took the athletes into the sea at all. She has questioned why weights were said to have been fastened to his arms and legs as he was in the water, why no medics or rescue personnel were positioned nearby, and why no one reached him in time.
“Malaki talagang tanong ko, bat napunta doon sa dagat? Kasi basketball naman yung anak ko, hindi naman swimming,” she said.
According to Rovelyn, the family was never told the camp would involve what she described as military-style conditioning. She said no such detail came up during the orientation, leaving them with no chance to weigh whether Rene could handle it.
“Kasi kung sinabi pa lang nila, matanong ko na sana, ‘kaya mo ba yun?’ Para madesisyunan namin. Hindi ko alam bat ganun ang nangyari,” she said.
She added that her son had told her the athletes were barred from using their phones throughout the training.
Rovelyn also described being left without information after Rene died. She said no staff member from the school accompanied her son’s remains to the funeral home, and that the family received no photographs or direct word confirming his death, only social media posts.
“Dami nang mga post pero di pa ko naniniwala kasi di ko pa nakikita yung anak ko,” she said. “Post lang nila na ganyan na yung anak ko, wala na, pero wala talaga sila binigay kahapon na picture na para maprove ko na anak ko ba talaga yun. Hanggang kaninang umaga, na prove ko na na wala talaga yung anak ko.”
The news first reached her on Monday, June 8, through a text message asking whether they could speak by phone. “Sabi niya ‘Ma’am, naaksidente po si Rene. Nalunod po,'” she recalled.
For Rovelyn, the loss carries the weight of years of sacrifice. She said she had backed her children’s schooling despite the family’s hardship, treating their talent as a way out of poverty.
“Masakit, sobrang support ko mula bata hanggang ngayon. Tapos ginanon lang nila. Kasi kung alam ko lang na may training sila na ganyan maam, kahit mahirap kami, hindi ko yun ipapahamak yung anak ko talaga. Gusto ko ng justice talaga. Kung anong nangyari, bakit ganun nangyari sa anak ko,” she said.
“Isang saglit lang ang pangarap ng aking anak, winasak nila,” she said. “Ang sakit. Pangarap yan ng mga anak ko. Mahirap kami pero sinusuportahan ko talaga mga anak ko para makapag aral, makapag tapos. Kasi diyan namin hinuhugot sa mga talent nila yung paghihirap namin tapos nauwi lang sa ganun.”
Rene, who came from Agusan del Sur, had built a notable record before joining Ateneo de Manila University. The 6-foot-4 standout from Ateneo de Davao steered Davao to its first Palarong Pambansa basketball title in December 2025 and was named MVP, then helped the Davao Eagles finish as first runner-up at Palarong Pambansa 2026. He had transferred to AdMU and was preparing to suit up for UAAP Season 89.
He died alongside 21-year-old teammate Divine Adili, a 6-foot-10 Nigerian center who played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 88. Adili had been slowed by recurring back trouble that sidelined him for stretches of the season, though his return helped the team recover from a five-game skid to close at 6-8.
The two athletes drowned on June 8 during the team’s trip to Dipaculao. Police Regional Office 3 said its preliminary assessment found no indication of foul play, stating that the athletes appear to have been pulled by a strong current into deeper water while swimming, even as the investigation continues.
