Ateneo Town Hall Reveals Players’ Account of Aurora Tragedy

Members of the Ateneo community heard new, emotional details on Tuesday, June 16, about the team-building activity in Aurora that led to the deaths of Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili, as University President Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Yap, SJ faced questions on accountability, crisis response, and the school’s next steps.

The town hall, held at the Leong Hall Auditorium by the Office of the Vice President for Higher Education, was open to members of the Ateneo community. Details from the forum were reported in a live X thread by Roi Manimtim of The GUIDON.

Yap opened the town hall by again apologizing to the families of Baterbonia and Adili, as well as their loved ones and teammates. He said Ateneo’s support for the bereaved families was “not limited to statements or announcements,” adding that he personally met Baterbonia’s family after they arrived from Agusan and prayed with them at Arlington.

“I am here to once again apologize to the families of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, their loved ones, and teammates,” Yap said, according to Manimtim’s posts.

Yap also acknowledged statements released by faculty, alumni, graduates of the Class of 2026, and the Seniors’ Alliance, saying Ateneo was committed to the work of rebuilding trust within the community. He said the pursuit of truth was “not an obstacle” to healing, but part of it.

“If the facts reveal weaknesses in our policies, we will address them. If changes are needed to better safeguard the wellness of our students and athletes, then we will change them,” Yap said, based on Manimtim’s live updates.

Players Speak Up

The most significant revelations came when AMBT members Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo shared their recollections of the June 8 activity. The players initially asked that their statements not be recorded, before later allowing recording while prohibiting a livestream, according to the thread. (Update: According to a source from Ateneo, livestream was allowed, too.)

The players recounted that the team had no phones during the activity because they had been confiscated the night before, leaving them with no sense of time. They said Baldwin asked the team at around 2:30 p.m. who among them did not know how to swim. Bongo reportedly shared that Adili did not know how to swim, while Baterbonia knew how.

According to the players’ account as reported by Manimtim, the activity involved jogging in the water near the shore, with coaches positioned nearby. Bahay said waves came in and pulled players farther from the shallow area, while coaches began telling them to move back toward the shallow part.

Panic followed when the players realized they were not moving closer to shore. Espinosa said he was in front and initially did not notice what was happening behind him, before turning back and seeing teammate Kyle Gamber screaming for help.

Bahay said the players later began helping other teammates. He recalled hearing EJ Kapihe say that Divine was gone, and later realized Kapihe had seen Adili floating and had tried to bring him back to shore. Bahay also said that after learning what had happened, he ran to Baldwin, who then went to get Espinosa.

The players also recounted the frantic moments involving Baterbonia. Espinosa said he saw Baterbonia behind him struggling in the water, while Bahay later said the team saw Baterbonia floating and later on with purple lips. CPR was performed on Baterbonia, according to the live thread.

After the incident, 18 players reportedly gathered at the pool, where Coach Reynaldo “Jon” Jacinto Jr. told them what had happened. The players then called their parents. Manimtim also reported that Baldwin returned about an hour later after going to the hospital to accompany Adili and Baterbonia.

When the floor was opened for questions, the audience strongly objected to the idea of questioning Bahay, Espinosa, and Bongo. “They were not just students, they were victims as well,” a faculty member shouted, according to Manimtim.

The town hall then turned toward accountability. Asked who else would be fired and when, Yap said Ateneo had already accepted the resignations of Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo. Pressed further on the university’s broader response, Yap said he had tried to answer the issue as best as he could and gave no further comment.

Yap also addressed questions on Ateneo’s crisis management. He said he received a phone call from Quimpo on June 8 about what happened and that his first reaction “as a priest” was to provide comfort. He said the university offered support to the Baterbonia family, but the family followed assistance from the government in Agusan, which provided tickets.

Yap said the Baterbonia family requested an autopsy before Rene was embalmed. He also said Ateneo offered to host the wake, but the family declined.

Yap said the Commission on Higher Education had appeared with a subpoena, although he noted that it used a list from last year’s team. He said he was also being subpoenaed and was supposed to appear on Friday, which falls on graduation day for Batch 2025-2026, adding that he was asking Ateneo’s lawyers what to do.

Incoming Sanggunian President Jedryc Romero also appeared at the town hall, bringing a letter signed by more than 3,000 students and alumni calling for “hard accountability.” Romero said it was time to consider relieving University Marketing and Communications Office Director Matec Villanueva from her position, or at least deeply reevaluating how Ateneo communicates and talks to the community.

Yap later introduced two members of the crisis committee present at the town hall: Vice President for Higher Education Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu and Vice President for Mission Integration Benjamin Gerardo T. Tolosa Jr.

Tolosa said one of the administration’s first actions before releasing a statement was to contact the Baterbonia family. He explained that part of the difficulty was that Quimpo, the person who knew Baterbonia’s mother, was not in Aurora. Tolosa said the university released its statement at 7:30 p.m. to ensure the administration had already contacted and spoken with Mrs. Baterbonia.

The town hall also featured pointed questions about Yap’s own role. One attendee asked whether his conscience told him he should remain president of the Ateneo community. Yap responded that he could not make “that dramatic move” at the moment, saying there was still a lot going on.

Another question centered on supporting the AMBT players, who were reportedly being attacked on social media. Tolosa said Ateneo had sought help from the Office of Guidance and Counseling and other stakeholders to receive the students and help them process concerns after the incident.

Tolosa also said the athletes wanted to tell their story and continue playing. According to Manimtim’s thread, he relayed the sentiment that withdrawing from the UAAP would amount to “double jeopardy” for the players, and that any decision must include them.

The town hall came as Ateneo continues to face mounting scrutiny over the June 8 tragedy. The CIDG has said it is looking into possible homicide or Anti-Hazing Act violations, while Aurora police earlier said their initial findings pointed to accidental drowning caused by strong currents. The DOJ has ordered the NBI to conduct a separate investigation, CHED has required Ateneo to submit a comprehensive incident report, and Ateneo’s Board of Trustees has formed an independent fact-finding body.

For the Ateneo community, however, Tuesday’s town hall showed that the crisis has moved beyond the question of what happened in Aurora. It has become a broader reckoning over athlete safety, institutional accountability, communication, and whether the university’s next actions will match the grief and anger of the community it now has to answer to.

This is a developing story.