THE police are set to complete their investigation into the drowning of two Ateneo varsity basketball players and could file charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday.
Remulla said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has nearly completed its case buildup after conducting interviews with close to 100 people and gathering more than 1,200 pages of testimonies during the two-week investigation.
The CIDG is “conclusive and very confident” about the evidence gathered for the case, he said.
The remaining steps involve interviews with a few more individuals, including former players and representatives from Ateneo management, to complete the investigation.
“On Friday, we will submit this to the DOJ for the filing of charges. Just wait for the final review, and we will explain to you what we found in this investigation,” Remulla said.
The DILG earlier tasked the CIDG to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.
The probe also includes determining possible violations of Republic Act 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.
Remulla on Wednesday said business tycoon Manny Pangilinan will also be summoned by the CIDG.
Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap faced CIDG investigators on Wednesday.
For nearly two weeks, the CIDG had summoned various individuals, mostly players, coaching staff and university officials ton answer questions about the drowning of Baterbonia and Adili during a team building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.
The PNP earlier said Ateneo’s basketball program is autonomous from the university and is managed by the foundation of Smart Communications owned by Pangilinan.
Investigators, the PNP said, are looking into the culpability of the university as well as Smart Communications in the drowning incident.
Show-cause order
Meanwhile, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has issued a show-cause order to the Ateneo de Manila University after it failed to provide an incident report and documents regarding its own investigation into the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili.
In a statement late Tuesday night, the commission said its National Capital Region office directed Ateneo to submit the necessary documents and reports after its meeting last June 9.
It added that it made repeated requests for these documents “given the seriousness of the incident and the commission’s responsibility to ascertain the facts and determine compliance with applicable regulations.” “Despite follow-ups by CHED-NCR, the university failed to provide the required records and information,” the commission said.
Because of this, CHED issued a show-cause order on June 16, which mandates Ateneo to submit a written explanation under oath on why the commission should not impose appropriate sanctions within 10 days from receipt of its order.
CHED said it cannot allow matters involving the loss of student lives and questions of institutional accountability to remain unaddressed, stressing that higher education institutions are expected to cooperate fully with regulatory processes, particularly in incidents involving student safety and welfare.
