25/07/2026
𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 | 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻
His body was barely laid to rest, yet the race for views had already begun.
Not for justice.
Not for awareness.
Not for genuine sympathy.
For clout.
The tragic death of Rene Clert Baterbonia became another viral topic for people eager to capitalize on public emotion. Within hours, social media feeds were flooded with AI-generated edits, engagement-bait posts, gambling links, and even merchandise tied to their deaths.
Some people were grieving.
Others were calculating.
And that difference says everything that is wrong with social media today.
On June 8, 2026, Ateneo de Manila University confirmed the deaths of student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia, 19, along with his teammate Divine Adili, 21, following a drowning incident during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora. Initial reports indicated that the two were swept away by strong currents while in the water. Authorities later launched investigations into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, while the university extended support to their families, teammates, and loved ones.
What should have been a period of mourning quickly became a spectacle.
Instead of allowing the families, friends, and teammates of Rene to grieve in peace, many individuals on social media rushed to turn the tragedy into content. Suddenly, timelines were filled with dramatic edits, recycled photos, AI-generated videos, and emotionally manipulative captions designed not to honor the deceased, but to maximize engagement.
The most disturbing part is that some creators did not stop at gaining attention. Some attached gambling links in comment sections, using public sympathy as a gateway to promote their own interests. Others began selling shirts and merchandise connected to the tragedy, as if the deaths of two young athletes were a brand that could be marketed.
This is not remembrance.
This is exploitation.
There is a profound difference between paying tribute and profiting from grief. A tribute seeks to honor a person's memory. Exploitation seeks to benefit from it. Unfortunately, many people today have blurred that line beyond recognition.
Social media has created a culture where every tragedy is treated as a trending topic. The moment a story gains traction, content creators rush to be among the first to post, regardless of whether they have any real connection to the people involved. The goal is no longer empathy. The goal is visibility.
What makes this even more painful is that the people who truly loved them will continue carrying this loss long after the trend disappears. Their families will wake up every day with an empty seat at the table. Their teammates will continue playing with memories that can never be replaced. Their friends will continue mourning milestones that Rene will never get to experience.
Meanwhile, those who exploited his death for views will simply move on to the next viral story.
That is why this issue is not just about social media etiquette. It is about human decency.
Not every story is content.
Not every tragedy is an opportunity.
Not every death should be transformed into clicks, revenue, and engagement.
Rene Clert Baterbonia was not a trend. He's not an algorithm. He's not an opportunity for monetization.
He is a human being.
And perhaps the most heartbreaking reality of all is that while this young man lost his life in Aurora, some people lost something else entirely—their conscience.
When a society becomes more concerned with gaining views than showing compassion, the tragedy is no longer confined to those who died.
It extends to the living.
🖋️: A.J. Marquez
💻: J. Labiste
