From administrative lapses to criminal liability: Multiple probes underway into Ateneo players’ deaths
Several government agencies have launched separate investigations into the deaths of two Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes who drowned during a team-building activity in Aurora province.
Ateneo Blue Eagles players Rene Clert Baterbonia, 19, and Divine Adili, 21, died after being swept by strong currents during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.
The Philippine National Police–Aurora has ruled out foul play, describing the deaths as "purely accidental" following its initial investigation.
Baterbonia was expected to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 89 later this year. The 19-year-old standout previously starred for Ateneo de Davao and was named MVP of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte, where he helped the Davao Region secure the gold medal. He also recently competed in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur, where his team finished with silver after losing to Calabarzon.
Adili, a 6-foot-10 Nigerian student-athlete, had already suited up for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 88. He missed part of the season due to back issues, but recovered and later helped Ateneo snap a five-game losing streak.
Multiple agencies have launched parallel investigations into the tragedy as the public becomes one with the student-athletes' families in seeking answers over their deaths.
PSC, CHED, UAAP, and SBP
The Philippine Sports Commission, alongside the Commission on Higher Education, University Athletic Association of the Philippines, and the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas, will examine the administrative circumstances surrounding the incident. CHED earlier said it ordered Ateneo to submit a comprehensive incident report and started an administrative review to assess the university’s response and compliance with relevant policies.
The PSC-led Sports Stakeholders’ Panel is pushing major reforms in Philippine sports governance. It announced support for the proposed Sports Coaching Act, which seeks to regulate the coaching profession through mandatory licensing, registration, and continuing professional development.
The group also pledged to implement standardized safety standards, risk management measures, and emergency response systems across all levels of sports, stressing that the initiative goes "beyond student-athletes and a single incident." It added, "At its core, this is about protecting athletes and ensuring that sport is a safe, credible, and empowering environment for all."
It underscored that athletic excellence should never come at the expense of human life. During the press conference, PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio also clarified that the alleged "intense" coaching methods attributed to Ateneo men's basketball coach Tab Baldwin do not reflect government policy.
Congress
Resolutions have been filed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate seeking investigations aimed at strengthening safeguards for student-athletes.
At the House, Pinoy Workers Party-List Rep. Karl Legazpi called for an inquiry into whether existing policies, safety standards, and accountability measures are sufficient to govern school-organized training camps, team-building activities, and other high-risk programs involving student-athletes.
"Educational institutions, athletic organizations, coaches, trainers, and other persons entrusted with the supervision of student-athletes bear the responsibility of ensuring that training activities are conducted in a safe and responsible manner," he wrote.
Sen. Bam Aquino filed a Senate resolution seeking a Senate inquiry into the incident. The investigation seeks to assess whether schools and sports organizers are correctly enforcing safety protocols and emergency response procedures during activities held off campus.
"The incident underscores the need for a comprehensive review of existing requirements governing school-organized off-campus activities, including parental informed consent, full disclosure of planned activities and associated risks, safety standards for high-risk activities, supervision requirements, emergency response protocols, coordination with local authorities, and other safeguards necessary to protect students participating in such activities," the resolution read.
It also aims to review whether current accountability measures for schools and activity organizers are sufficient to protect students, including incident reporting, safety compliance, and oversight mechanisms.
Sen. Robin Padilla said he has also filed a separate resolution seeking a Senate probe into the deaths of the student-athletes.
National Bureau of Investigation
The Department of Justice has directed the National Bureau of Investigation to form a task force and conduct an independent probe into the incident.
In a June 10 statement, the DOJ said the NBI had been instructed to carry out a "thorough, comprehensive, and impartial investigation" into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
While local police earlier found no indication of foul play, the NBI said it would independently verify those findings. "Our respect for the work of the local police does not displace the Bureau’s duty to satisfy itself, independently and upon the evidence, of every circumstance surrounding this tragedy," the NBI said.
The bureau emphasized the limits of the police finding, saying: "It is important for the public to understand what a finding of 'no foul play' does and does not resolve. Such a finding speaks to the absence of intentional harm. It does not, by itself, answer a separate and equally consequential question under our laws: whether these deaths resulted from negligence in the conduct of the activity."
The DOJ added that the investigation aims to establish the facts surrounding the deaths and determine whether criminal charges should be recommended.
PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group
The PNP-CIDG chief Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II said that the agency has issued subpoenas for players and coaches, including Baldwin, ordering them to appear before investigators.
Resort staff, local officials, and the team's bus driver have likewise been summoned to attend the June 15 proceedings.
"We have to be enlightened doon sa activities nila, circumstances, during that time. But we are trying to establish if the school authorities concerned have prepared for the safety and medical needs of the athletes," he said during the press conference.
He also said they have identified several persons of interest in the case.
The agency is investigating whether organizers properly assessed and managed the risks posed by the area and the prevailing weather conditions.
The CIDG chief also stressed that the probe aims to establish whether there is criminal liability, including possible negligence or other contributing factors, in the deaths of the two student-athletes.
It added that the CIDG is gathering and reviewing all available CCTV footage to help reconstruct the events leading up to and during the tragedy.
Department of Labor and Employment
DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino has issued a subpoena to determine whether Ateneo men's basketball head coach Tab Baldwin's employment status complies with labor regulations governing foreign nationals.
"No foreign national working in this country is above the law, regardless of the status, reputation or the institution they represent. Coach Baldwin is employed in the Philippines, and subject to Philippine labor laws…The DOLE will simply do its job verifying that he holds a valid and current alien employment permit..." Tolentino said.
The Baterbonia family has also asked the DOJ to place Baldwin under an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order, a request that has also been made by the PNP-CIDG, according to DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez.
In a June 11 letter, the family's lawyer, Israelito Torreon, urged Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida to issue the order so authorities would be alerted if Baldwin attempts to leave the country while the case is under investigation.
An ILBO does not prevent a person from leaving the Philippines, but notifies law enforcement agencies of any attempt to depart.
Baterbonia’s remains were flown to Davao early Friday, June 12, for a three-day wake before being brought home to Agusan del Sur. The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Philippines is also facilitating the repatriation of Adili’s remains to Nigeria. The families of both victims have requested that autopsies be conducted.
