Rene Baterbonia's mother shares why the late student-athlete had No. 2 as his jersey number
The mother of Rene Baterbonia shared why her late son wore a No. 2 jersey in most of his basketball games.
Rene, 18, and his teammate Divine Adili, 21, lost their lives on June 8 while the Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball team was on a team-building trip in Dipaculao, Aurora.
In an interview with News5 shared on Tuesday, June 16, Rovelyn Baterbonia looked back on Rene's life as a son and student-athlete.
"Lahat ng uniform, mga medal, hindi niya 'yan ibibigay sa iba kasi sabi niya, 'Hindi ko 'to ibibigay sa inyo. Original 'to. Kay mama to.' Ibibigay niya sa 'kin. Kaya 'yung sa akin, naiwan, ay mga original talaga na uniform," she said.
When asked why the basketball player opted for No. 2 as his jersey number, Rovelyn said it had something to do with him being the second among his siblings.
"Number 2 'yung jersey niya [kasi] five silang magkakapatid na lalaki, tapos para malaman namin 'yung mga jersey kasi ang daming jersey, 'yun, may sinabi ako na, 'Si kuya, No. 1. Siya (Rene), No. 2. 'Yung pangatlo kong anak, No. 3. 'Yung pang-apat, No. 4. At tsaka pang-lima, No. 5, para 'pag nagkuha sila ng kanilang mga uniform o gamit, alam nila na sa kanila 'yun," she said.
Rovelyn shared that her favorite jersey of Rene was the one he wore at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. The Agusan del Sur native won for Davao the region's first Palarong Pambansa basketball championship and was declared MVP in December of that year.
"Hindi ko akalain na siya ang naging MVP nun. Sabi ko sa kanya, 'Nak, congrats kasi nanalo na kayo,'" she recalled. "Nung semi-finals, nagsabi ako sa kanya na 'Nak, kung ano ang kaya mong gawin, ipakita mo. Ipakita mo na ganyan ka na pagkatao sa court, ganyan 'yung ugali mo, lahat. Tapos kung may mag-aaway sa'yo, balewalain mo na lang 'yun kaysa 'di ka maka-focus."
Baterbonia graduated from senior high school at Ateneo de Davao University then transferred to Manila to enroll in ADMU and join the Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball team. He was training to play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 89 when he died.
Team-building tragedy
ADMU released a statement informing the public that Baterbonia and Adili passed away on June 8 after drowning during a team-building activity.
The university has since said it is conducting its own comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into the tragedy and is "providing support to the families of Rene and Divine, as well as to their teammates and members of the Ateneo community affected by this tragedy."
Various agencies and organizations have launched parallel investigations into the incident, including the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Aurora local government. Initial findings from the Aurora police have shown no evidence of foul play.
Following the university's announcement of Baterbonia and Adili's deaths, ADMU President Fr. Roberto Yap SJ gave several official statements. He said that as the university grieved for its student-athletes, it also convened a fact-finding panel to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the incident. To allow for the "total integrity" of the probe, Yap said Ateneo men's basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Christopher "Epok" Quimpo were placed on leave.
Amid calls for Baldwin to personally pay his respects to the Baterbonia and Adili families, Yap wrote that the coach's silence was not self-imposed. Rather, it was a university decision to "allow official processes to proceed and the facts to be established before any public discussion of the matter," Yap said.
Baldwin made his first public appearance following the tragedy at a candlelight vigil for Baterbonia and Adili on June 11 at the ADMU campus.
On June 12, through a video statement, Baldwin offered an apology to the Baterbonia and Adili families, both of whom said an apology was not enough.
On June 15, Yap announced that the university had accepted the resignations of Baldwin and Quimpo, effective immediately.
