DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Honoring the memory of a fallen basketball prodigy by securing his family’s future, an academic institution has stepped in with a life-altering gift. Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) has officially offered full scholarships up to college for all six siblings of the late student-athlete Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia.
The announcement was made by AdDU president Rev. Fr. Karel San Juan, SJ, on Saturday evening, June 13, following a 6:00 p.m. Eucharistic Mass celebrating Baterbonia’s life at the Christ the King Chapel inside the university’s Senior High School campus in Bangkal.
The scholarship grant follows direct consultations with Baterbonia’s grieving parents, aiming to fulfill the young athlete’s deepest, long-held dream of providing a quality education for his younger brothers and sisters.
[ THE BLUE EAGLE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND ]
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[ FROM BASIC ED TO COLLEGE DEGREE ] [ DECIDING TO STAY CLOSE TO HOME ]
• **Comprehensive Coverage:** The educational cushion covers all six • **Alternative Offers:** Other Jesuit institutions, including Xavier
siblings, guiding them from basic education all the way through • University – Ateneo de Cagayan, also stepped up with aid.
to the completion of their chosen college degrees. • **Family's Choice:** The Baterbonia family opted for AdDU
• **Keeping the Legacy Alive:** *“Bubuhayin po natin si Bobet sa • so the siblings could pursue their studies in Davao and remain
pamamagitan ng pangarap niya sa kanyang mga minamahal,”* • physically close to home during their period of healing.
Fr. San Juan, SJ, shared during the service. •
The tragic loss has sent shockwaves through the local sports community, which had closely followed Baterbonia’s rise from a provincial standout into a highly scouted national collegiate recruit:
[ THE BOBET BATERBONIA ATHLETIC JOURNEY ] │ ▼[ July 2025 ] ──► **The Palaro MVP:** Steers the Davao Eagles to a national crown and secures the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award during the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. │ ▼[ May 2026 ] ──► **The Final Run:** Caps his secondary basketball career with a silver finish representing Region XI in Agusan del Sur, officially committing to the ADMU Blue Eagles. │ ▼[ June 8, 2026 ] ──► **The Training Tragedy:** Drowns alongside Nigerian teammate Divine Adili during an off-season team-building exercise in Dipaculao, Aurora.
During the memorial mass, sports leaders and former mentors shared fond memories of the 6-foot-4 athlete’s court presence. AdDU athletics coordinator Jon De Luna Escandor noted that while traditional academic lectures weren’t Baterbonia’s favorite place—often joking that teachers caught him dozing off in afternoon classes—he was an absolute force of nature once he stepped past the baseline.
- A Sound Mind and Body: Escandor highlighted that Baterbonia lived the classic Latin maxim mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body) in an unmistakably unique, humble way.
- The Court Transformation: “When he enters the basketball court, he transforms. Bobet was a young man whose mind came fully alive the moment a basketball was in his hand,” Escandor shared, inviting mourners to focus on gratitude for the joy his life brought.
- Seeking Answers: The grand gesture from his high school alma mater arrives at a tense moment. Baterbonia’s remains were flown back to Davao via private aircraft early Friday morning, as his mother publicly questioned initial claims that the drowning was a simple accident, urging an active, ongoing probe by the NBI and local police into the team’s security protocols.
Despite heavy rain sweeping across Davao City on Saturday, hundreds of classmates, relatives, and local sports fans trooped to the Bangkal campus wake to pay their respects to the young icon who gave everything for the pride of Davao.