Rovelyn Baterbonia has pushed back against claims that she is profiting from the death of her son, late Ateneo basketball player Rene Baterbonia, while explaining why visitors to the family’s mini-museum dedicated to him are charged with ₱30 entrance fee.
Appearing on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Friday, Baterbonia denied making money from Rene’s death or asking people for financial contributions.
“To be honest, I’m not making money from my son or from his death. I never asked anyone for even a single peso,” she said.
Baterbonia also explained the origins of the family’s sale of Rene-related memorabilia, saying the idea began while he was still alive.
According to his mother, Rene had suggested selling some of his memorabilia after people repeatedly asked him for such items.
“He was the one who thought of selling his memorabilia because many people were asking him for them. He asked, ‘Why don’t we try selling some of my memorabilia?’ That’s how we started,” she recalled.
She said the family initially posted about the items online to determine whether there were interested because they did not have money to invest in the venture.
“When many people started sending me private messages, he told me, ‘I’ll take care of talking to the people who gave me the jerseys so we can put them on consignment,’” she said.
Baterbonia’s comments come after social media discussions surrounding the sale of Rene-themed memorabilia, including shirts and other items, as well as the operation of a mini-museum dedicated to the late player.
She confirmed that the museum, located at the family’s home, does have an entrance fee.
“We have a P30 entrance fee for my son’s mini-museum to help with the maintenance because I can’t handle all of it on my own,” she said.
Baterbonia had previously clarified that the ₱30 charge applies to the museum and not the merchandise store.
She said residents of Talacogon are allowed to enter the museum for free, while visitors from outside the area are charged the ₱30 fee. The merchandise store itself, she said, does not have an entrance charge.
The clarification comes amid increased scrutiny of Baterbonia’s activities involving Rene’s memorabilia following his death on June 8 during an off-campus Ateneo team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.
While Baterbonia has denied profiting from her son’s death, she acknowledged that the museum collects a modest entrance fee, which she said is intended to cover its maintenance costs. (Adrian Co)
