Family, friends, and supporters bid farewell to their MVP (Most Valuable Player) Rene Baterbonia for the final time on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
The Ateneo basketball player was laid to rest at a cemetery in his hometown of Talacogon in Agusan del Sur shortly before midday.
Pain was palpable among those who love Baterbonia - the kind of pain shaped not merely by loss but by knowledge of his tragic passing.
He was buried more than two weeks since he and fellow Ateneo basketball player Divine Adili drowned while at a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
Adili’s remains were flown to Nigeria on June 23.
Baterbonia's burial followed a procession from the gymnasium in Talacogon.
There, his mother, Rovelyn, thanked those who stood by them throughout the painful ordeal.
She thanked family members, relatives, friends, teammates, supporters, government officials, and members of the community who extended their condolences, offered prayers, and took time to pay their final respects to her son.
She said the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and solidarity has brought comfort and strength to their family as they continue to mourn the loss of a beloved son whose life and legacy touched countless people.
The gymnasium welcomed supporters who wanted to see their hometown idol.
During the procession to the cemetery, supporters in white lined the streets to pay their last respects.
Baterbonia’s remains were brought to Talacogon on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, after several days in Davao City where his Ateneo de Davao University community paid its last respects to the high school basketball legend.
Baterbonia was flown home to Mindanao from Manila on June 12.
BATERBONIA DAY
On the final night of his wake in Talacogon, the municipal government approved an ordinance declaring June 8 of every year as “Rene Clert ‘Bobet’ N. Baterbonia Day.”
The legislative measure honors Baterbonia’s legacy and contributions to sports development, discipline, and community service, the town said.
The Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur has declared the late basketball player Rene Clert Baterbonia as an “AgSurnon Sports Icon.”
The 6-foot-4 Baterbonia is from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur but has long been considered a pride of Davao City, having represented the city in basketball.
He was a standout from the Ateneo de Davao University basketball program who made waves in the Palarong Pambansa when he won Most Valuable Player and steered the Davao Eagles to a championship in 2025.
In May 2026, Baterbonia capped his Palaro journey with a silver finish next to eventual champions Region IV-A in the secondary boys’ basketball tournament in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa held in Agusan del Sur.
Ateneo de Manila University was his dream school and he dreamed of flying higher with the Blue Eagles to also help his family back home.
He moved into campus on June 4, just four days before the tragic incident.
PROBE
Baterbonia was laid to rest as investigations into his and Adili’s death continue in Manila.
The National Bureau of Investigation has summoned the Ateneo men’s basketball coaching staff, university administrators, current players, and even former players.
An immigration lookout has also been issued against now resigned head coach Tab Baldwin and assistant coach Sandro Soriano, which means any attempt to leave the Philippines will alert authorities.
Earlier information showed that Baterbonia and Adili were in the middle of an activity with teammates where they had to walk with their thighs submerged in water, when they were carried away by a rip tide to deeper parts of the sea.
Their families and supporters have since called for justice for their passing.
