The Ateneo student-athlete community has appealed for accountability and transparency in the ongoing investigation into the deaths of basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, while urging sports officials not to penalize athletes who had no involvement in the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
In a statement titled “Tuloy ang Laban,” members of the Ateneo athletic community said the deaths of the two young athletes should not be reduced to a controversy or a case file, emphasizing the human cost of the incident.
“Today, we mourn two young men whose dreams ended far too soon,” the statement said. “Their deaths demand accountability precisely because their lives mattered.”
The appeal comes nearly two weeks after Baterbonia and Adili drowned during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
The tragedy triggered widespread outrage and multiple investigations, with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) later saying its findings indicated the deaths were “not an accident.”
The incident has also raised questions about the planning and supervision of the team-building exercise, prompting calls from families, alumni, students, and members of the sports community for accountability and institutional reforms.
Against this backdrop, the student-athletes stressed that while justice must be pursued for Baterbonia and Adili, hundreds of other athletes across Ateneo also carry aspirations shaped by years of sacrifice, training, and academic commitment.
According to the statement, many athletes left their homes and families in pursuit of education, scholarships, and opportunities through sports, often carrying the hopes of entire communities.
“The two young men we lost were not the only student-athletes who dared to dream to be in the big league,” the group said.
The statement highlighted athletes from various disciplines, including swimming, football, fencing, volleyball, track and field, judo, and tennis, noting that they had no participation in the events now under investigation and held no decision-making authority over the circumstances that led to the deaths.
“None of these athletes had any participation in the events now being examined,” the statement said. “None of them were decision-makers or had authority over the circumstances that led to this tragedy.”
The group warned that athletes uninvolved in the incident could still suffer consequences if sanctions are imposed on Ateneo’s sports programs.
“And yet they may bear the consequences to not be allowed to compete again,” the statement said. “We ask: is that justice?”
The student-athletes said accountability should be imposed on those responsible while ensuring that innocent athletes do not suffer consequences for actions beyond their control.
“This appeal is not an attempt to shield anyone from responsibility nor diminish the tragedy we now mourn,” the statement said.
“Rather, it is a plea for accountability wherever accountability is due and let not innocent student-athletes suffer the consequences of circumstances beyond their control.”
The group called on authorities to expedite investigations, ensure transparency, and implement reforms arising from the incident.
“Expedite the investigations. Demand transparency. Rally for reforms,” the statement said.
At the same time, the student-athletes urged decision-makers to exercise discernment in balancing accountability with fairness.
“Let discernment prevail in ensuring that justice for the two lives we lost does not become a barrier to the dreams of hundreds more who were left behind,” the statement said.
The appeal concluded with a call to allow Ateneo athletes to honor the memory of Baterbonia and Adili by continuing to compete.
“Allow the players to honor Rene and Divine in the best way they know how,” the group said. “Allow them to continue the legacy of their fallen brothers in their respective sports. Allow them to play in the UAAP.”
Link to petition: https://www.change.org/p/tuloy-ang-laban-an-appeal-from-the-ateneo-student-athlete-community