At least 13 Facebook posts claim that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte covered all the expenses in transporting the remains of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles cager Rene “Bobet” Baterbonia to his hometown in Agusan del Sur. These are false.
The earliest copy of the post from an FB user, with a graphic containing a side-by-side photo of Baterbonia and Duterte, was published on June 20. The caption reads:
“HINDI PALA DAW ATENEO ANG SUMAGOT
PARA MAIUWI ANG MGA LABI NI RENE BATERBONIA SA TALACOGON 😭”
(So it turns out that Ateneo wasn’t the one who covered the expenses to bring Rene Baterbonia’s remains home to Talacogon. 😭😭)
The claim was further bolstered with the inclusion of a portion of Ateneo de Davao’s basketball coach Jess Evangelio’s statement expressing his gratitude to Duterte and the local government of Davao City. He said:
“We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte for extending assistance from Manila to Davao and all the way to Talacogon. Your support helped ease the burden on Rene’s family and ensured that he was brought home with dignity and honor. – Coach Jess”
While the local government of Davao City helped with the accommodation, food, and transportation of Baterbonia’s family from Davao City to Agusan del Sur, it was Ateneo that provided the plane to transport the remains of the student-athlete.
According to Baterbonia’s lawyer, Israelito Torreo, the private aircraft was provided by Ateneo and the family thanked the school for it. ADMU also shouldered all of the wake and funeral expenses for the late student.
News reports confirmed that Baterbonia’s remains were flown from Manila to Davao on a private plane, brought to Ateneo de Davao University for a public wake before the funeral convoy proceeded to Agusan del Sur.
Evangelio was thanking the local officials of Davao for providing food, transportation, accommodation, and security assistance to the bereaved family and supporters. The basketball coach is a Davao City native and is known for mentoring award-winning basketball players.
The Blue Eagle player was recruited to play for the Ateneo de Davao University high school basketball team after he was scouted from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur. Evangelio was Baterbonia’s coach for six years while playing for the school and during their Davao Regional Athletic Association campaigns.
University president Fr. Bobby Yap on June 15 said they reached out to the bereaved family to provide other support, with the school offering to shoulder the travel expenses of Baterbonia’s loved ones from Mindanao to Manila. However, the family opted to accept the help extended by the Agusan del Sur government for this.
The misleading posts surfaced after the Baterbonia family’s press conference on June 10. His mother initially sought help from government officials to fly the remains, before ADMU arranged for a private plane.
The post published by a FB user got 41,835 reactions, 2,200 comments, and 3,700 shares. Meanwhile, the other copies of the post have collectively garnered 29,970 reactions, 2,294 comments, and 2,647 shares.
