Rene Baterbonia chased dreams not only for himself but his family
Rene Baterbonia was a Filipino basketball forward who rose from a low‑income family in Agusan del Sur to lead the Davao Region to a gold medal at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. He earned multiple honors, including MVP of the tournament and a championship win for the Philippines at the 2025 ASEAN School Games. Baterbonia died in a drowning accident during a team‑building activity in June 2026, shortly after enrolling at Ateneo de Manila University.
- ▪Baterbonia grew up as the second oldest of seven children in a family of fish vendors and was a beneficiary of the government’s 4Ps program.
- ▪He played for Ateneo de Davao’s high school team before moving to Ateneo de Manila, and his scholarship also secured a spot for his younger brother.
- ▪He led Davao Region to a historic secondary boys’ basketball gold medal at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa and was named tournament MVP.
- ▪Baterbonia helped the Philippine team win gold at the 2025 ASEAN School Games, scoring 21 points in the final against Malaysia.
- ▪He and teammate Divine Adili drowned during a team‑building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8, 2026.
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window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-top-billboard" ); window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "oop" ); window.rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-oop" ); UAAP Basketball Rene Baterbonia chased dreams not only for himself but his family Jun 13, 2026 7:55 PM PHT Delfin Dioquino Listen to this article Upgrade to listen Powered by Speechify Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. SUMMARY This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article. REPRESENT. Rene Baterbonia in action for Davao Region in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
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