Rovelyn Baterbonia clarifies reports surrounding son Rene's death

Rovelyn Baterbonia, the mother of late Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles basketball player Rene Baterbonia, has clarified several rumors surrounding her son’s death.

On “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” Friday, Rovelyn addressed questions about her relationship with Rene’s teammates and coaching staff, the sale of his memorabilia, her appearance at the UAAP Season 89 opening, and whether or not she's been able to communicate with Ateneo representatives following his death.

She’s not angry with the coaching staff as well as Rene’s teammates

Rovelyn admitted she initially felt anger following Rene’s death, but she has since chosen to let the legal process take its course.

“We’re only human. At first, maybe I was angry. But now, I’ll just let the law take its course,” Rovelyn said in Filipino when asked if she harbored resentment toward Rene’s teammates and the Ateneo coaching staff.

According to Rovelyn, her only concern is finding out what really happened to her son.

“I just really want to know the truth about my son’s death. Was it really an accident or not?” she said.

“Whether I win or lose, at least I get to hear the truth about my son’s death,” she added.

Rovelyn was also asked about a report that she had brought a jersey signed by Bobet’s teammates and had prayed that those who were not telling the truth would not be able to sleep.

Her remarks, however, centered on the same thing she has repeatedly sought throughout the case: the truth about what happened to her son.

She’s not making money off Rene’s death

Rovelyn denied she's profiteering from her son's death by selling his memorabilia.

“To be honest, I’m not making money from my son or from his death. I never asked anyone for even a single peso," the grieving mother began.

Rovelyn explained the idea to sell Rene’s jerseys and other memorabilia was actually her son's idea while he was still alive.

“He was the one who thought of selling his memorabilia because many people were asking him for them. He asked, ‘Why don’t we try selling some of my memorabilia?’ That’s how we started,” she recalled.

The family initially posted online to gauge interest because the family did not have money to put into the business.

“When many people started sending me private messages, he told me, ‘I’ll take care of talking to the people who gave me the jerseys so we can put them on consignment,’” she continued.

She confirms P30 fee at Bobet’s mini-museum

While she denied making money off Rene’s death, Rovelyn confirmed that visitors to the mini-museum dedicated to Bobet at their home are charged a P30 entrance fee.

“We have a P30 entrance fee for my son’s mini-museum to help with the maintenance because I can’t handle all of it on my own,” she said.

Rovelyn says she was not invited to UAAP opening

Rovelyn clarified reports surrounding her presence at the UAAP Season 89 opening at the Mall of Asia Arena on September 12.

She said she did not receive an invitation or tickets.

“I didn’t receive a ticket. I didn’t receive an invitation. I really just went to MOA because I wanted to fulfill what my son told me, that once the UAAP opening happened, I should be there because I was his number one fan,” she said.

Rovelyn explained her late arrival saying she also had a hearing that day. By the time she reached the venue, the game was already in its later stages.

She recalled being asked by an Ateneo staff member to go downstairs and sit beside the parents of Rene’s late teammate Divine Adili.

“I said, ‘It’s okay. I won’t watch anymore. We’ll just watch the second game,’” she recalled.

She's only spoken to the assistant coach, not management

Rovelyn also clarified her communication with Ateneo officials following Rene’s death, saying she was approached and spoken to by assistant coaches while Rene’s remains were at Arlington Memorial Chapels. The management, however, didn’t speak with her.

“While we were at Arlington, the assistant coaches spoke to me. They were the ones who talked to us there. That’s all,” she said.

She requested to meet again after the 40th day

Rovelyn also addressed reports she didn't want to talk to Ateneo representatives, explaining she only asked for them to wait until after her son Rene’s 40th day.

“They tried to talk to me, but I didn’t agree because I was still very confused,” she said.

According to Rovelyn, she was struggling to process what had happened and feared she would not remember the details of their conversation.

“I wouldn’t have understood anything from the conversation because I couldn’t remember some things," she said. "It was as if I had lost my mind.”

She recalled that when she learned of Rene’s death on the night of June 8, she turned unconscious for several hours and only later realized what had happened.

“When I found out that my son had died on the night of June 8, I didn’t even realize that I had fainted and was unconscious for several hours,” she said.

“There were so many people there, and we were still receiving many visitors, so I didn’t agree to talk with them. Even if we had talked, I wouldn’t have remembered what we discussed.”

Rene and fellow Ateneo de Manila University men's basketball player Divine Adili, 21, died on June 8 during a team-building activity of the Blue Eagles.

Police later said Rene's cause of death was asphyxia by drowning based on a post-mortem examination. — LA, GMA News