Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) has officially retired the No. 2 jersey worn by student-athlete Rene Baterbonia, who tragically passed away during a team-building activity in Aurora.
The jersey number that Rene proudly wore throughout his basketball career actually has a simple story behind it.
According to his mother, Rovelyn Baterbonia, she assigned numbers to her five sons based on their birth order to help them identify their clothes and uniforms. The eldest was No. 1, Rene was No. 2, the third child was No. 3, and so on.
“Five kasi sila magkakapatid na lalaki. Kasi nga pangalawa siya sa mga kapatid. Para ‘pag magkuha sila ng kanilang mga uniform or damit, alam nila na sa kanila yun,” Rovelyn shared in an interview with News5.
This has since been the jersey number Rene carried throughout his basketball journey.
Following his passing, ADDU made sure that No. 2 would forever belong to him. The university officially retired the jersey and renamed its Senior High School covered court the Rene “Bobet” Baterbonia Covered Court in honor of the young athlete.
“No one will ever wear jersey No. 2 again here at Ateneo de Davao. It will forever belong to you, Bobet,” ADDU coach Jess Evangelio wrote in a Facebook post.
“You were truly one of one, my brother. There will never be another you,” he added.
Rene left his hometown to pursue his basketball dreams and help lift his family out of poverty. Following his death, ADDU also pledged full educational support to his six siblings, granting them scholarships from kindergarten through college.
