Robin Padilla affirms biopic on late athlete Rene Baterbonia will proceed

Senator Robin Padilla has affirmed that plans to produce a biopic about the late basketball player Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia are proceeding despite reported financial and political obstacles. The film project is being led by filmmaker BB Gandanghari, the senator’s sister, alongside a team of filmmakers from Mindanao.

Baterbonia was an 18-year-old standout athlete from Agusan del Sur and a recruit for the Ateneo de Manila University basketball team. His life was cut short on June 8 during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, where he and teammate Divine Adili drowned. A post-mortem examination confirmed Baterbonia died of asphyxia by drowning.

In a social media statement, Padilla criticized unnamed parties for allegedly squeezing the project financially and politicizing the entertainment industry, describing them as “oppressors.” Despite these claims, he emphasized that the production team remains committed to telling Baterbonia’s story.