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Ateneo President Fr. Bobby Yap says the school is considering its options, including the possibility of withdrawing from the UAAP Season 89, amid many investigations into the deaths of players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo de Manila University is yet to decide on its participation in the upcoming UAAP season following the deaths of basketball players. Clean battery and Divine Virtue.
University President Fr. Bobby Yap on Monday, June 15, said the school is considering its options, including the possibility of withdrawing from Season 89, which is set to begin this September.
“Regarding the UAAP, we have not made a decision yet. We are still studying the matter,” said Yap in Filipino in a press conference, which was his first time facing the media since the death of the two athletes.
Ateneo already bowed out of the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup after playing just one game, where it qualified with a 72-52 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons on June 6.
Two days later, Baterbonia, 18, and Adili, 21, he died by drowning during the Blue Eagles team building in Dipaculao, Aurora.
“Our players have been dealing with trauma for just one week. In fact, they are in deep grief. It makes no sense to let them play,” Yap said.
Many government agencies have launched investigation in the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, including the Philippine National Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Group (PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Former Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin and former team manager Epok Quimpo, who he resigned from their positions, they did not show up on Monday despite being summoned by the CIDG.
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that only Ateneo athletic director Emmanuel Fernandez appeared before the CIDG among the five school management members who were summoned.
CIDG Director General, Major General Robert Alexander Morico II said on Monday that the agency found that the Ateneo men’s basketball team is “supposedly independent and operated independently by the foundation.”
According to Morico, the said foundation is Smart Communications, a company whose chairman, president, and chief executive officer is longtime Ateneo patron Manny V. Pangilinan.
“Programming and funding is handled by the foundation,” said Morico.
Subpoenas, Morico said, will be issued to Smart Communications officials.
“We will be calling on Smart to help us shed some light,” Morico said.
The CIDG is also looking into the possibility of murder or accounting related to the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, who according to Ateneo, were participating in a water conditioning exercise when they were swept away by strong currents.
“As you can see, the Anti-Hazing Law of 2018 applies not only to fraternities, academics, or in organizations such as police training, it also applies to any organization or the need to continue membership. Among the possibilities (violations) of this is forced castration, exposure to the weather, or other cruel treatment of Filipinos and Filipinos,” said Moricono.
Meanwhile, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said on Monday that they have also summoned Baldwin and Ateneo players to assist in their investigation.
“We can finish the investigation within a week. We want to finish it immediately so that we can give quick recommendations,” said Matibag. – Rappler.com
