Sara Duterte visits wake of Rene Baterbonia in Davao City

Vice President Sara Duterte visited the wake of student-athlete Rene Baterbonia at Ateneo de Davao University on Friday, June 12.

According to a report by GMA News reporter JP Soriano, Duterte arrived at the Ateneo de Davao Senior High School building shortly before 10 p.m. She was accompanied by members of her family.

Individuals close to the Baterbonia family said one of Duterte's children is a fan of the young basketball player.

Duterte also reportedly had the opportunity to check on some of the athlete's relatives and supporters. However, a GMA News source said she was unable to personally speak with Baterbonia's parents during the visit.

Baterbonia, 18, was a former Palarong Pambansa champion and Most Valuable Player who starred for Ateneo de Davao during his senior high school years. He was set to begin his collegiate career with the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 89.

He died during a team-building activity of the Ateneo de Manila men's basketball team at a beach resort in Dipaculao, Aurora, on Monday, June 8.

The Aurora Provincial Police Office said Baterbonia's cause of death was asphyxia due to drowning, based on the post-mortem examination certificate.

Baterbonia's fellow Ateneo student-athlete, Divine Adili, also died from drowning.

During an interview in Davao City on Friday, Duterte backed calls for justice for the deaths of the two young basketball players, saying the drowning incident was legally "actionable."

"Unang-una, nakakalungkot na gano'n 'yung nangyari sa isang estudyante, at sa isang promising na athlete natin sa bansa. Pakiramdam ko kulang na kulang 'yung response ng Ateneo sa nangyari. Hindi lang kay Rene 'no, doon din sa isang foreigner na player din ng Ateneo na namatay," she said.

(First of all, it is heartbreaking that this happened to a student and one of our country's promising athletes. I feel that Ateneo's response to what happened was lacking—not only in Rene's case, but also in the case of the foreign Ateneo player who died.)

"Dapat kasi sa mga ganyan na mga panahon ay nauuna 'yung pag-reach out nila sa pamilya at pagpapaintindi sa pamilya kung ano 'yung nangyari at ano 'yung mga kailangan nilang gawin, the family and the school," she added.

(In times like these, the school should first reach out to the family and help them understand what happened, as well as what steps both the family and the school need to take.)

In a video posted by Ateneo de Manila University on Friday evening, men's basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin apologized to the families of the deceased players.

"To the depth of my being, I'm sorry," Baldwin said.

"On that fateful day when we sent the players out for a routine training run in what we thought was shallow water, up to the moment when we realized that whatever had happened, they were in dangerous water, we did everything that we could."

"At that moment, I felt I had failed. I failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach," Baldwin added.

Baterbonia's mother, Rovelyn, however, said Baldwin's apology was not enough.

"Hindi kaya ng apologies ang kamatayan ng aking anak para sa kaalaman mo. Ang aking gusto ay ipahayag ninyo kung ano talaga ang nangyari," a Filipino translation of her social media post, originally written in Cebuano, said.

(Apologies are not enough to make up for the death of my child. What I want is for you to tell us what really happened.) —VBL, GMA News