Rovelyn Baterbonia is continuing the practice of signing memorabilia for supporters, a gesture once carried out by her son, Atenean student-athlete Rene Baterbonia, before he died during a team-building activity in Aurora earlier this month.
The matriarch appeared in a Facebook Live by Wheng Otacan Porminto, during which she signed several yellow-and-black shirts handed to her.
Porminto also shared a glimpse of one of the shirts in a separate post.
The back of the shirt featured the quote: “Just a kid with a big dream.”
The phrase is is associated with Rene, who dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player to help improve his family’s circumstances.
Some social media users who saw the video were reminded of one of Rene’s final moments with his mother before he flew to Manila to study at Ateneo de Manila University.
Just days before the student’s demise, he signed keychains featuring his photos to help his mother, who intended to sell them for P50 each.
Rene was seen diligently signing each photo despite their small size.
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Rovelyn recently created a Facebook page, “Baterbonia’s Collections,” which aims to showcase items for sale, including keychains featuring her son’s name and photos.
Rene was the son of fish vendors from Agusan del Sur and a beneficiary of 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), a government program that provides assistance to the country’s poorest households.
He died after drowning during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8, which was initiated by then-Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.
The six-foot-tall athlete led the Davao Region to a historic secondary boys’ basketball gold medal at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
Another Atenean teammate, Nigerian player Divine Adili, also died in the activity.
Authorities said the incident had elements of “hazing” in the incident, adding that the activity was intended to determine which players would make it to Baldwin’s final roster to be submitted to the UAAP board.
There were 20 players, but only 17 were set to be included.