It has been more than 14 hours and many questions now surround the tragic deaths of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) basketball players Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili. According to what appears to be an official statement issued by the ADMU in a post on social media platform X shortly after the incident, the tragedy happened during a “team building activity”…
It is with profound sadness that Ateneo de Manila University confirms the passing of two student-athletes of the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team, Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili, following a drowning incident that occurred during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on the afternoon of June 8, 2026.
The entire Ateneo community mourns the loss of Rene and Divine. The University extends its heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, teammates, coaches, and loved ones. We ask the community to keep them in their prayers during this most difficult time.
The University is providing support to the families of Rene and Divine, as well as to their teammates and members of the Ateneo community affected by this tragedy.
We respectfully ask for privacy and space for all those grieving as they come to terms with this profound loss.
As a community, we mourn with the families and loved ones of Rene and Divine and entrust them to God’s loving mercy. We ask for continued prayers for all who are affected by this tragedy.
Details regarding the wake and funeral arrangements will be announced once these have been finalized in consultation with their families.
What is remarkable about the above statement is that the ADMU seems to be in direct consultation with the victims’ families around “wake and funeral arrangements”. There seems to be no mention of any sort of coordination with the police or any other state investigation agency much less any indication that proper crime scene investigations are forthcoming. One would could interpret this statement as the ADMU focusing on burying the two players. A wake, after all, suggests an embalming (altogether skipping an autopsy which would normally be part of a police inquiry).
Interestingly, purported statements issued by the mother of one of the victims, Rovelyn Bartebonia, are being circulated on social media and seem to reveal a lack of any communication or proper engagement by either the ADMU or the police. One shared by X user @volleybagan appears to be a copy of a post by Bartebonia herself on what appears to be her Facebook profile.
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Isa lang ang masasabi ko: BAKIT? Kung isinama ninyo kami sa pag-uusap at ipinaalam ninyo sa amin na may ganoon palang uri ng training, kahit mahirap lang kami, hindi ko papayagang sumali roon ang anak ko. Hindi biro ang lahat ng pagsisikap at sakripisyo ng anak ko, tapos ganito na lang ba ang mangyayari sa kanya?
Hanggang ngayon, wala pa ring malinaw at tamang sagot kung bakit nangyari ito. Sana ay masagot ninyo ang lahat ng aming mga tanong at mabigyan kami ng katotohanan at paliwanag na matagal na naming hinihintay.
Hindi ko pa nakita ang katawan ng anak ko hanggang ngayon. Wala pa silang ibinigay na larawan o video sa akin. Kung totoo na talagang wala na ang anak ko at hindi ko rin alam kung nasaan siya.
Napakahirap kapag mahirap ka dahil hindi ka basta-basta makakapunta kung saan-saan para maghanap ng mga sagot. Sino ba ang lalapitan ko? Saan ba ako pupunta upang mabigyan ng malinaw na sagot at malaman ang totoong nangyari sa anak ko?
Translated to English:
All I can say is: WHY? If you had included us in the discussion and informed us that there was this kind of training, even if we were poor, I wouldn’t have allowed my child to participate in it. All of my child’s efforts and sacrifices weren’t a joke-only for something like this to happen to him?
Until now, there’s still no clear and proper answer as to why this happened. I hope you can answer all of our questions and give us the truth and explanation we’ve been waiting for so long.
I still haven’t seen my child’s body until now. They haven’t given me any photo or video. If it’s true that my child is really gone and I don’t even know where he is.
It’s so hard when you’re poor because you can’t just go anywhere and everywhere to look for answers. Who should I turn to? Where should I go to get a clear answer and find out what really happened to my child?
If the timestamps on Facebook and X are anything reliable to go by, it would appear that the ADMU released a statement on the deaths of these young men at least several hours before any sort of contact was made with their families. Normally, in an incident as grave as this, one would expect as a minimum (1) deference to the police and subordination to any official communication on the matter coming from them and (2) immediate contact with the family (also, normally, conducted by the police). The ADMU being all-too-quick to issue their statement (and one so evidently written in haste) raises more questions than answers.
At this stage, this is a developing story.
- The way the Ateneo de Manila University issued its official statement on the deaths of Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili seems to suggest a cover-up - June 9, 2026
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