Past interviews featuring former Ateneo players discussing the basketball team’s annual “bootcamp” activities resurfaced following the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili in Aurora.
Baterbonia was a 19-year-old basketball player who was supposed to make his debut as an Ateneo Blue Eagle in the UAAP Season 89.
He led the Davao Region to the boys’ basketball gold medal in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Baterbonia lost his life less than a week after he moved to Ateneo’s Katipunan campus in Quezon City.
Meanwhile, Adili was a 21-year-old student-athlete from Nigeria who played for Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88.
He was described as a “promising rookie big man” for the Ateneo’s men’s basketball team and a “key contributor” to the university’s impressive start in Season 88.
The students died after drowning while in a team-building activity at a resort in Dipaculao, Aurora, in Quezon Province.
Sports publication Spin.ph reported that Ateneo players, coaches, and staff arrived in Aurora on Monday, June 8, for a week-long team-building activity. They were supposed to stay until Sunday.
It said it was an annual exercise since American-New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin took over as head coach of the team.
The police said the drowning incident occurred around 2:40 p.m. on Monday, when 20 athletes were participating in an activity along the shoreline.
“Nasa hanggang hita po ang lalim ng tubig, at bigla na lang po silang napunta sa malalim na parte,” Police Colonel Percival Pineda, acting provincial director of the Aurora Police Provincial Office, said.
“‘Yung part po ng nilalakaran nila ay may malalim na bahagi, at doon nga po, bigla silang tinangay ng current papunta sa mas malalim na bahagi ng dagat,” he added.
Baterbonia and Adii were brought to Aurora Memorial Hospital for resuscitation efforts, but were declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
The police said it was not the first time the group had held activities at the resort, adding they were familiar with the sea conditions in the area.
Aurora Provincial Police Public Information Chief Major Lorena Bautista also said it was not the first drowning incident in the area for this year.
Past interviews from Ateneo players resurfaced on social media following the incident, as some Filipinos highlighted the athletes’ experiences with Baldwin.
A Facebook user uploaded a clip from a podcast appearance by Philippine Basketball Association player Mike Nieto on December 9, 2025’s “Balyahan with GB and RDO,” in which he shared his “bootcamp” experiences under Baldwin.
“I hope there’s no foul play involved. Please investigate, ADMU!” the user exclaimed.
In the interview, Nieto said they were the first batch of players to undergo the one-week “bootcamp,” adding that they only thought it would be the “usual training camp.” He said that their mobile phones were taken.
Nieo shared experiences of swimming exercises, early-morning drills and lunges in the sand.
He added that someone in their batch was “saved” by “Coach Tab” after nearly drowning at sea during swimming exercises.
Other online users also brought up the interview of Blue Eagle players Shaun Ildefonso and Anton Asistio.
“Ito din, oh. Based sa video, grabe pala initiation ng Ateneo MB sa mga rookies nila,” the X user wrote.
Ito din oh. Based sa video, grabe pala initiation ng Ateneo MB sa mga Rookies nila. https://t.co/tZtvl3HGgm pic.twitter.com/ZFtYXREFgs
— 😔 (@_micrococcus) June 8, 2026
Ildefonso and Asistio appeared in the same podcast on Dec. 2, 2025, where they also shared that their training in Ateneo as student athletes appeared to have “military” vibes.”
Both played for Ateneo before their PBA stint.
In the interview, Ildefonso shared that there was a “megaphone” used to wake them up for push-up exercises at the beach.
“Para talagang pang-sundalo,” he said.
Ildefonso added that he also had to do a “sort of relay” in the water.
“Eh sa Baler, ang lakas ng alon doon, ‘di ba? So parang, kailangan niyo mag-relay. Tapos may mga jogging rin kami doon,” he said.
They also shared that someone “almost” drowned in the activities.
Aftermath
Meanwhile, the Ateneo de Manila University said it is providing support to the families of Baterbonia and Adili, as well as to their teammates and members of the Ateneo community affected by the 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,” it said in a statement.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) also said it is creating a sports stakeholders’ panel to support the efforts of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice in establishing a “clear, accurate, and comprehensive” understanding of the incident.
The PSC said that, aside from gathering the facts of the case, it is also examining existing policies and training protocols to strengthen athletic training environments.
