19/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐
A star fallen, only to be sold.
The crowds had returned, cheering in the court this September, praising athletes in their glorified jerseys as the UAAP Season 89 began. The league opened with the same spectacle that makes college basketball feel larger than the game itself, but for Ateneo, something was missing. Two familiar faces who once played for their glory were no longer there to witness the rise of another championship.
Rene Clert โBobetโ Baterbonia and Divine Adili, two athletes whose shocking deaths last June left an absence in the team, could only remain as stars guiding their fellow teammates through the upcoming games. On September 16, 100 days after their deaths, Ateneo opened its menโs basketball campaign against the University of the East. With the Blue Eagles wearing โDA/RBโ patches on their jerseys, a moment of silence was offered, dedicating the season to their fallen teammates.
Yet even before the game started, their names echoed far beyond the news of their deaths and beyond the boundaries of sportsmanship. It was when a starโs memory became another way to profit from loss, when Reneโs name became a means for personal gain, that remembrance began to turn grief into merchandise.
As the ball was passed while the crowd cheered, the modern-day internet once again had turned anything profitable into content. A culture where the tragedyโs attention gets quickly squashed with unnecessary jokes, memes, and false information, while clear boundaries get pushed aside. One of which is a song entitled โBituin ng Mindanao,โ an AI-generated song named to be owned by UGAT NG LAHI, where one uses the incident into a content reposted for clout.
โBituin ng Mindanao. Mula sa hirap hanggang tagumpay, Pangarap mo'y aming gabay.โ
A star is meant to guide those who look up to it. Yet when a star shines too brightly, it becomes impossible to look away. Rene Baterboniaโs death drew massive response across the country, leaving thousands mourning and expressing support for his family. His story quickly rose in fame, and his name continued to reach people far beyond the court. Fan pages were created, merchandise was sold, and even a life-sized statue was placed near his resting place in Talacogon. The same name that once guided people through inspiration was now being carried everywhere, seen, shared, and eventually, sold.
โMula Talacogon hanggang kalangitan, Naririnig pa rin ang iyong pangalan.โ
From the place where he grew up to the places where his name became known, his memory continued to be carried by the people who remembered him. The municipality of Talacogon decided to honor June 8 as โRene Clert โBobetโ N. Baterbonia Day,โ in recognition of his impact on the community. The decision drew applause from supporters who had gathered at the Talacogon Municipal Evacuation and Gymnasium. His name continued to live beyond his plays, carried by a community that refused to let his memory disappear. Yet even this formal recognition cannot escape the complicated ways his name continues to be kept alive long after his death.
Baterboniaโs passing quickly flooded social media. There were numerous posts offering respect to the family and seeking justice, but not all of them carried genuine sympathy. Content with false information was made mainly for engagement and clout. Influencers shared the tragedy for views and monetization. Moreover, the widespread news of his death was also used as a marketing strategy to gain profit. The grief people expressed became overshadowed by the way people used the incident.
โNgunit sa bawat luhang pumapatak, May alaalang hindi mabubura.โ
Every tear carries a memory of the person who was lost, and for many, grief becomes a way of keeping that person alive in remembrance. In this case, however, some have turned that same memory into a way of gaining visibility. Across the internet, there are posts made with the sole purpose of milking the death of the athlete. Rene-inspired products across different platforms continue to be sold, while Rovelyn Baterbonia has also continued selling merchandise through the Baterbonia Collection. She also responded to unauthorized products being sold online, saying, โI hope you can respect our request not to sell T-shirts or jerseys using the memories of my son.โ
Someoneโs death shouldnโt be used as a milking device, and it shouldnโt disguise it as a search for justice. The noise and constant public attention can make his death feel more like public content than a tragedy seeking justice. There is a difference between keeping someoneโs memory alive and continuously exploiting their death.
If justice is what people truly refuse to fade, then let people still search for it without exploitation. Rene Baterbonia did not die to be packaged as a product or as a source of engagement. Remembrance is not genuine when it keeps being used for personal gain.
