On August 21, 1983, the day Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, my dorm friends and I were in Makati. We had no idea what was happening at the Manila International Airport while we were having lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
While walking to Quad to see what movies were showing, we saw Kuh Ledesma and a foreign guy walking there too. Seeing a celebrity would have been enough to excite us, but that day was unusually gloomy. We simply looked at her and whispered, “Si Kuh.”
There was a brownout at Quad, so we decided to window-shop instead.
It was only upon arriving at the dorm, which was also in brownout mode, that we somehow realized the reason behind the gloom.
The dorm’s directress was right there in the lobby and was telling us to store water, buy food and other essentials, buy candles and flashlights, and not to worry because the nuns had bought enough groceries and supplies for our meals to last for weeks.
We then asked her, “Why the panic?”
She replied, “You don’t know? They killed Ninoy!”
My initial reaction: “Ninoy who?”
I had no idea.
She told us to listen to Radyo Veritas because all other mainstream media were controlled by then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
The same thing happened when Rene Baterbonia died on June 8, 2026.
I saw the news on Facebook and asked, “Rene who?”
But this time, with social media, content creators, vloggers, and even non-content creators suddenly having a eureka moment that they could now start their vlogger journey by posting anything about Baterbonia, it has been way easier to learn who he was.
Sayang, no? He could have won many more championships for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. And he could have won many more Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. But Ateneo de Manila University had other plans. Or was it God who had other plans? Related: Where na you, ADMU?
For his parents, believing that God has a better plan for their family may lessen the pain a little for now. If only they could erase all the memories they’ve had with him since birth. That’s 18 years of their family’s ups and downs, wins and losses—the challenges, struggles, and problems they have survived. Their son might have saved them from poverty.
There’s this quote from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard: “You live life looking forward; you understand life looking backward.” So true. Any of us can relate to that.
And Baterbonia’s family can find comfort in that, too, by believing that all this is preparing them for what is yet to happen.
The future is not assured, though. But at least Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) has offered scholarships to Baterbonia’s siblings.
Baterbonia’s transfer from AdDU to his hometown Talacogon, Agusan del Sur reminded me of Aquino’s funeral procession. Both took longer than usual because people crowded the streets to say goodbye. And both triggered profound sadness.
For Aquino, sadness due to the promise that he could have replaced Marcos as president and saved the Philippines from graft and corruption.
For Baterbonia, sadness due to the promise that he could have saved his family from poverty, and he could have been the greatest basketball player our country has ever had.
