Ateneo Taking Support Measures for Players After Aurora Tragedy

Ateneo de Manila University has started taking additional measures to support members of its men’s basketball team in the aftermath of the drowning tragedy in Aurora that claimed the lives of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The measures include an increase in guidance counseling sessions for players, legal assistance for student-athletes who are participating in investigations, and offers to bring parents of several players to Manila so they can be closer to their children during what has become a deeply painful and sensitive period for the team.

According to the source, there has been an uptick in guidance counseling sessions for the surviving players following the incident in Dipaculao, Aurora. The players are also participating in Ateneo’s internal fact-finding process, which is separate from ongoing investigations by law-enforcement agencies.

Ateneo has also provided a law firm for its student-athletes as they go through the investigation process, the source said. The players, however, have the option to either use the law firm made available by the school or secure their own legal representation.

The same source said parents of Filipino-American players, including Andrew Bongo, Shawn Tuano, Travis Roberts, and Logan Baltazar, among others, have been offered the chance to travel to Manila to be with their children. They are being offered lodging on campus so they can stay close to the players.

Parents of players from the provinces, including Jared Bahay, Sam Reyes, Alden Cainglet, and others, have also been given the same option, according to the source.

The support measures provide a clearer picture of how Ateneo is handling the welfare of the players who survived the June 8 incident, even as the school continues to face questions over accountability, supervision, and safety protocols surrounding the team-building activity.

Baterbonia and Adili died after a water-based activity during Ateneo’s team-building camp in Dipaculao. According to accounts from current Ateneo players who were present, the activity began in shallow water before waves and strong currents made it difficult for several players to return to shore.

Some players have since publicly described the situation as chaotic, with teammates calling for help and others attempting to assist those who were struggling in the water. Baterbonia and Adili were later recovered and brought to a hospital, where they were declared dead.

The tragedy has since triggered multiple layers of investigation. Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap has publicly said that the university’s Board of Trustees formed an independent fact-finding body to investigate the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili. Yap said the panel is composed of external legal and technical experts who will operate outside the university’s administrative structure, with findings and recommendations to be submitted directly to the Board of Trustees.

Ateneo has also said it will cooperate with investigations by civil and regulatory bodies.

The National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group are conducting their own probes into the incident. Current and former Ateneo players have been brought into the process as authorities seek to reconstruct what happened before, during, and after the water activity.

The tragedy has already led to major fallout within the program. Longtime Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have resigned. Both had previously gone on leave while the school’s inquiry was underway.

Ateneo has also pulled out of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup. The school has not made a final decision on whether the men’s basketball team will participate in the upcoming UAAP season, with university officials saying they will wait for the findings of ongoing investigations and reviews.

The latest support measures for the players come as the surviving members of the team deal not only with grief over the loss of two teammates, but also the emotional burden of recalling the events of the tragedy for investigators.

They also come at a time when public discussion has expanded beyond the drowning itself. Questions have been raised about the nature of the team-building activity, the choice of location, the safety measures in place, the level of supervision, and the broader culture of athletic training programs that emphasize mental toughness and adversity.

For now, the new measures show that Ateneo is not only dealing with the institutional and legal consequences of the tragedy, but also the welfare of the student-athletes who remain at the center of one of the most difficult moments in the school’s history.