AS has been widely reported, and has driven the Philippine social media population into a frenzy, two members of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Blue Eagles basketball team tragically drowned on the afternoon of Monday, June 8, during a training outing at a beach in Dipaculao, Aurora. While every indication so far is that the incident was a horrible accident, the response of the university administration to the public outcry has been completely inappropriate and defensive to the point of arrogance. Ateneo owes it to its students, their families, its sports fans and supporters, and the law enforcement authorities investigating the tragedy to provide an honest and forthright explanation, and to take appropriate steps to prevent a repeat of it.
Rene Clert “Bobet” Batabonia, a freshman basketball standout hailing from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, and Divine Adili, a Blue Eagles veteran and student-athlete from Nigeria, were with 16 other teammates and coaches when they drowned during a training workout on the afternoon of June 8. According to an eyewitness who spoke to The Manila Times, the group was conducting exercises approximately 10 to 15 meters offshore when they were struck by powerful waves, which unfortunately overcame Batabonia and Adili. It was said that only the quick action of the Blue Eagles coaching personnel and the other team members to get the rest of the group out of the water prevented a bigger tragedy.
Contrary to claims being spread online, the eyewitness emphasized that there was nothing that could be considered abusive happening with the exercise. It was not a “military-style” training session, nor was there anything being done that could be considered “hazing,” nor were the athletes training with ankle weights, as some online commenters have claimed. Athletic training in water, whether in swimming pools or in shallow beach areas, is a common practice, and the Blue Eagles coaching staff’s choice for the team to engage in that is not in itself out of line.
However, there are serious questions that must be asked about their judgment in carrying out that activity in that particular location, with its unique conditions. While we can assume that no harm was intended to the participants of the “team-building” activity, the coaching staff that organized it could very well be considered negligent in doing so.
According to one of our colleagues, who is an expert swimmer (having briefly done so competitively in his younger days) and snorkeling enthusiast, and who coincidentally visited the very beach location where the accident occurred just a few weeks ago, the beaches at Dipaculao are not at all safe for casual or inexperienced visitors. Unlike the Sabang Beach area of Baler, a few kilometers south of Dipaculao, the latter has challenging topography, featuring a steep drop-off of the seafloor a short distance offshore, and powerful waves and currents. Sabang, which is a popular spot for visitors, is monitored by lifeguards, but Dipaculao is relatively isolated, having very few visitors — mostly expert-level surfers — and no organized lifeguards or safety personnel and facilities. Our colleague, even with his higher-than-average skill and comfort with challenging water conditions, said that he would not attempt to go into the water at Dipaculao without a life jacket.
In the aftermath of the accident, the Ateneo authorities have only called more suspicion upon themselves with their questionable response. The mother of Rene Batabonia has complained that she was only informed of the accident by school authorities after she learned about it online from social media posts and news reports. If true, this is absolutely shameful.
Otherwise, although the Ateneo administration issued a heartfelt and respectful statement of condolences to the families of Rene Batabonia and Divine Adili, most of its public communication has been devoted to criticism of public discourse condemning the university for its evident recklessness and lack of transparency about what really happened, which comes across as somewhat callous and more concerned about the school’s image than legitimate concern about its two lost student-athletes and their families. Of particular concern is the lack of any statement whatsoever as of this writing from Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin, who was present and presumably in charge of the activity when it went terribly wrong. While we understand that Mr. Baldwin needs to exercise care in what he says, according to the guidance of Ateneo’s attorneys, he is a legitimate public figure here in basketball-crazed Philippines, and should say something.
We sincerely urge Ateneo de Manila and the authorities investigating the incident to provide prompt and complete information. There are already suggestions that the incident should be investigated in legislative hearings; it shouldn’t have to come to that, if the school and law enforcement officials are forthright and honest in the information they provide to a public that is already saddened and angered by this tragedy.
