facebook.com/share/p/1e8rMTzโฆ
It doesn't matter what province your birth certificate dictates. The moment you step foot here, the moment you live among us, you are a Dabawenyo.
Look at the crowd. Look at the thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder, united by a heavy, quiet grief that has blanketed the city.
If you want to understand the true, unbreakable spirit of this city, you only need to look at the wake of Rene Baterbonia.
Rene wasn't born here. He was a proud son of Agusan, a young man who crossed provincial lines carrying nothing but raw talent, an oversized dream, and the sheer determination to make a life for himself as a basketball scholar.
Instead, his life was tragically and senselessly cut short in the waters of Aurora, the victim of a devastating training initiation that cost him everything.
Thousands of Dabawenyos, the vast majority of whom had NEVER MET Rene, never shook his hand, and never watched him play, HAVE SHOWN UP. They are pouring in to mourn, to offer comfort, and most importantly, to demand justice.
There is an unspoken rule written into the very fabric of our community: It does not matter what province your birth certificate dictates. The moment you step foot here, the moment you live among us, chase your dreams under our sky, and share our daily struggles, ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ. ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐ป.
This massive gathering is far more than just a wake; it is a declaration. It is visual proof that we share a single, beating heart. When someone in our community is wronged, the pain doesn't stay confined to a single family, it ripples through every street.
We hurt as one.
We mourn as one.
We demand accountability as one.
He left it surrounded by a city that immediately claimed him as its own. We will carry his memory, we will stand by your side, and we will not rest until the absolute truth is brought to the light.
Rest in power, Rene! ๐๏ธ๐ค