Baterbonia's mother wants to focus on son first as family awaits documents, autopsy results

Rovelyn Baterbonia, the mother of late Ateneo de Manila University basketball player Rene Baterbonia, said her priority is ensuring her son's remains are properly taken care of as the family awaits the necessary documents and the results of the autopsy conducted on the body of the young athlete.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Baterbonia said she has yet to receive information regarding the autopsy findings.

“Naghihintay pa ako ng initial na ibinigay ng Ateneo sa amin,” she said.

“Sa totoo lang po, hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa alam kung may resulta sa autopsy.”

(I'm still waiting for Ateneo to give us initial results... To be honest, until now, I don't know if the autopsy already has a result.)

She said the family plans to bring Rene’s remains to Agusan del Sur once all required documents and the autopsy results are released.

“Sa ngayon nahgihintay ako ng resulta ng autopsy and then ‘yung death certificate niya, lahat ng papers then baka mamaya or bukas ililipad ko na papuntang Agusan,” she said.

(For now, I'm waiting for the result of the autopsy and then the death certificate, all of the papers. Then maybe later today or tomorrow, we will fly back to Agusan.)

Ateneo de Manila University on Monday announced the deaths of Rene Baterbonia and foreign student-athlete Divine Adili in a drowning incident during a team-building activity.

Asked whether she was disappointed with Ateneo’s response and actions following the incident, Rovelyn said she remains neutral for now as she waits for more information, noting that her son was also an Atenean.

“Sa ngayon, normal kasi kahit sino sa atin, hindi ‘yun matanggap. ‘Pag Ateneo ang pinag-uusapan, kasi ‘yung anak ko Atenista din, dun din siya sumikat. Ngayon masasabi ko, depende na lang ‘yun kung ano na lang ang masabi o ano ang clear. ‘Yan lang ang masabi ko.”

(At the moment, normal. Any one of us, we would not be able to accept what happened. But if we're talking about Ateneo, my son was also an Atenean. That's where he became known. So now I will say, it depends on what they will say or what will be clarified. That's all I can say.)

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News