'Saint' Baterbonia? Unverified healing claims emerge around late Ateneo cager

There seems to be an effort to project the late basketball player Rene “Bobet” Baterbonia as a “miracle worker” lately.

A woman claimed that her blood sugar and fatty liver diagnosis immensely improved after following the Ateneo basketball player, who drowned at a beach while training.

Another “miracle” attributed to Baterbonia reportedly happened to a child who was suffering from meningitis and needed oxygen. After the family prayed to the late Ateneo student-athlete, the child was reportedly able to walk again.

Mirayah, a relative of the Baterbonia family, shared in her Facebook Live that the child later visited Bobet’s grave.

“Masaya po ako kasi nakita ko siyang... nakapaglakad na po siya,” Miraya said.

“Pagpunta ko po sa bahay nila, lagi lang po siyang nakahiga. Siya po yung una kong napuntahan sa bahay nila,” she added.

There has been no independent medical or religious confirmation that either recovery was a miracle attributed to Baterbonia. The accounts remain personal testimonies.

The development is not entirely unusual. Researchers studying charismatic religious movements have documented how followers can preserve and expand the perceived extraordinary qualities of a deceased figure through stories of miraculous acts. One study of miracle-worker movements found that such accounts can help sustain a figure’s charisma after death and, in some cases, contribute to eventual institutional recognition.

That does not establish that Baterbonia’s followers constitute a cult, a contested term in scholarship. But the growing attribution of healing powers to a deceased student-athlete illustrates how a personal story can take on a larger, almost devotional character.

The stories have nonetheless become a source of inspiration for those who admired Baterbonia.

A film about his life is also in the offing, with Senator Robin Padilla reportedly likely to produce the project, while his sister, BB Gandanghari, is expected to take part.

For now, Baterbonia remains the subject of stories about extraordinary recoveries, but whether those accounts amount to miracles remains unverified.