THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) found “inconsistencies” in the accounts of the players and the coaching staff of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) men’s basketball team regarding the tragedy in Dipaculao, Aurora.
Resigned head coach Thomas Anthony “Tab” Baldwin, assistant coach Dean Castaño and team manager Emmanuel Fernandez, as well as other university officials, were among those who appeared before the CIDG fact-finding probe on the drowning of student athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili on June 8.
“There are some inconsistencies between what the players said and what the coaches said pero di pa kami tapos, so wala pa kaming maibibigay na comment hanggang matapos lahat ito (but we aren’t done yet, so we could not give any comment yet until all of this is done),” Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who was present during the questioning, told reporters on Friday.
Fr. Roberto Yap SJ, ADMU president, did not show up because the university’s graduation ceremony coincided with the CIDG investigation. His appearance was rescheduled on Thursday.
Remulla did not disclose the specifics of the supposed inconsistencies, only noted that the players were in the water while the coaches were on shore.
“We are piecing together the statements of what makes sense and what doesn’t. It will take us a while, it will take us another week,” he said.
Remulla said investigators were also checking the claims of the resort where the team-building activity took place that the team was advised not to go too far from the shore. The CIDG earlier said the activity happened over 700 meters from the resort, a location so remote there were no houses or people around.
Remulla said the drone footage that Baldwin was asked to bring was too short to provide a fuller picture of what happened.
“The drone footage is very short, parang two minutes after the fact, but we are still researching kung may (if they have) footage sila of the event itself. So far wala pang lumalabas (nothing has surfaced yet),” Remulla said.
He said Baldwin was able to operate the drone during the height of the incident.
On Friday, ADMU students walked out of their classes to press the school management to “do better” in protecting students amid the deaths of the two varsity players.
The walkout was organized by the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila (Council of Students of the Loyola Schools of Ateneo de Manila) and was held during the Loyola Schools graduation ceremonies.
In a statement posted on the Facebook page of Sanggunian, the Ateneo community said the university “should have done better.”
“While commitments were made and apologies were stated, the community seeks clear direction and plans in ensuring the community is safeguarded and that concrete changes are made to how the university operates. We also commit to actively participating in ensuring that these concrete changes are crafted and implemented,” the statement said.
Speaking to reporters, Sanggunian President Jedryc Romero said the community deeply mourns the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, and is one in finding answers over their deaths.
“We know that from all of these happenings, there needs to be change in how the University operates, and the community is here to support that effort in order to make sure that community is safeguarded,” Romero said.
Graduating student Bonnie de la Paz said they are pushing for representation from students, faculty and even student athletes to the Ateneo Board of Trustees.
“Otherwise, Rene and Divine’s death could happen again,” de la Paz said.
De la Paz also said that the graduating students wore black armbands during the graduation rites to remember the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili.
Sen. Bong Go has introduced a resolution proposing a Senate inquiry into the drowning of Baterbonia and Adili.
Senate Resolution 450 aims to evaluate existing policies, safety protocols and training practices governing athletic environments to enhance safeguards and welfare protections for student-athletes nationwide.
“The safety and well-being of our athletes must always be of paramount importance. While sports foster discipline, teamwork and excellence among our youth, every training activity and team-building exercise must be conducted with adequate safety measures and proper supervision,” Go said.
He noted that findings from the CIDG investigation reiterates the need for a Senate inquiry.
Although numerous schools implement their own safety policies, there is no comprehensive, uniform national framework focused on risk management, emergency medical preparedness, and the delineation of coach and staff responsibilities during team-building activities and training camps, Go said.
