‘Tell me what really happened’: Baterbonia’s mom slams Baldwin apology

In this photo uploaded on Facebook on Nov. 6, 2025 shows the incoming rookie Rene Baterbonia of the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Julius Domondon, Rene Baterbonia via Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — It seems Rene Baterbonia’s mother is not accepting the apology of Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.

Baldwin, through a Facebook video posted by Ateneo on Friday, apologized for the deaths of Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who drowned during the Blue Eagles' team-building session in Aurora.

Rovelyn Baterbonia, Rene’s mother, reacted the video on her Facebook page with a strongly worded statement.

“No amount of apologies can make up for the death of my child,” Rovelyn said in the post in Cebuano.

“I want you to tell me what really happened. Why do you keep saying that what happened to my child was just an accident? You told me it was only an accident, but you never updated me on what actually happened,” she added.

Baldwin, on Friday, spoke on the issue for the first time since the deaths of Adili and Baterbonia on Monday.

"As a coach, we are entrusted with the growth of our basketball players, the development of these young men into future professionals. But mostly, as a coach, I'm entrusted by you, the parents and the families, with first and foremost, their well-being,” he said in a video posted on Facebook, which broke Baldwin’s silence on the issue.

“And in this, I feel I've failed. And I'm sorry. To the depth of my being, I'm sorry."

Baterbonia’s mother also slammed Baldwin for supposedly not updating on what really happened to her son, as she reiterated that the Blue Eagles did not provide a photo to confirm the young player’s death.

The remains of Baterbonia were brought to Davao City from Manila on Friday.

The 18-year-old just transferred to Ateneo de Manila a few days after his untimely death. He previously played for the Ateneo de Davao University in high school.

Baldwin, in his speech, said that he has “experienced the descent into the darkest place imaginable.”

“I knew at the same time that good people, people that had done an amazing job raising these two young men, were going to be in an even darker, more horrible place. At that moment, I felt I had failed. I failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach. I certainly felt like I had failed as a friend to Divine and Rene,” the coach said.

“And when later I faced the team to try to be a leader in that moment, I felt that I failed them too. And that left me with really the only thing that I've been clinging to for the last several days, that as part of a community of faith, to pray, to pray that the Lord embraces our two boys, to pray that the Lord gives peace, comfort, some sense of sanity to the Baterbonia family and the Adili family,” he added.

“And I continue to beseech everybody that cared for, loves, loved Rene and Divine and their families, please keep praying.”