Grief gripped an entire community on Wednesday, June 24, as family, friends, and hundreds of residents gathered at the new municipal cemetery in Barangay Labnig to bid farewell to Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia.

The young basketball player’s final journey home reflected the weight of the loss felt across communities in Mindanao. Mourners lining highways and streets transformed a normal five-hour drive from Davao City into an 18-hour procession.

The cortege left Davao City at 8 a.m. on June 15 and paused for several hours at a funeral parlor in Panabo City before arriving in Talacogon at around 1:40 a.m. the next day.

Final rites were held at the Talacogon Municipal Gymnasium, where residents packed the venue to capacity. After the Requiem Mass, crowds filled the streets as the hearse slowly made its way to the cemetery, with mourners standing shoulder-to-shoulder in silence and prayer.

At the center of the grief was Bobet’s mother, Rovelyn Baterbonia, who clutched her son’s basketball jersey as she spoke through tears at his graveside.

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“Ayaw sila patulga! bisan di sila motug-an og tinuod, gikan sa coach, staff, ayaw gayud. Gisayangan ka lang nila. Grabe pangga ko kanimo. Bisan sa kalisod wala tamo biyae,” she said, pleading for answers surrounding the tragedy that claimed her son’s life.

Despite her pain, Rovelyn also thanked the community for the overwhelming support extended to their family during the wake and burial.

“Pasensya na sa mga tao na wala nako na-entertain tungod sa kadaghan tao, isa lang gud akong lawas. Karon salamat sa inyo sa pag uban samoa sa pag hatud sa akong anak — Dari rako taman, kabalo ko... naabot mo diri tungod sa inyong gugma sa akong anak... Magsakit inyong buot kung dili mo ka anhi pasiguro,” she said.

She also expressed gratitude to local government workers, police officers, church groups, volunteers, and donors who helped the family financially and emotionally.

“Salamat sa mga staff sa Kalambugon, samoang lungsod sa tanan nag lihok atong mga kaparian ug mga police ug CBO nag tabang samoa, mga tao nag tabang pinansyal ug materials ug kato pud mga tao nga nag hatag ug condelence ug gugma — Dako akoa pasalamat sainyoha tanan,” she added.

Bobet’s burial came more than two weeks after a team-building trip in Aurora turned tragic. On June 8, the incoming Ateneo de Manila University player drowned during a team activity.

The same incident also claimed the life of fellow Blue Eagles recruit and international student-athlete Chukwuemeka Divine Adili, who drowned during the same excursion in Dipaculao, Aurora. Adili’s remains were flown home to Nigeria earlier this week.

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For many in Talacogon, Bobet was more than a promising athlete. He was a hometown pride whose dream of playing in the UAAP symbolized hope for many young basketball players in the province.

Before committing to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, Bobet earned recognition as a standout player for the Ateneo de Davao Senior High School basketball team.

Now, the community mourns not only the loss of a young athlete, but also the future he planned to build.