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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Collegiate devider PSC forms panel to look into Ateneo drowning incident

PSC forms panel to look into Ateneo drowning incident

Published Jun 9, 2026 11:51 am

At A Glance

  • The Philippines Sports Commission announced that it is forming a fact-finding panel that will look into the tragic drowning of Ateneo Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during their squad's team building activity in Aurora on Monday, June 8.
Rene Baterbonia, left, and Divine Adili.
Rene Baterbonia, left, and Divine Adili.

The Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) announced that it is forming a fact-finding panel that will look into the tragic drowning incident of Ateneo Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during their team building activity in Aurora on Monday, June 8.

In a statement on Tuesday, June 9, the PSC said it is convening a sports stakeholders’ panel that will support the efforts of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justices in hopes of shedding light on what really transpired during the incident.

The panel, according to the PSC, will be composed of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the National Youth Commission (NYC), which will also be tasked to examine existing policies, protocols, and training practices' resolutions to strengthen safeguards in athletic training environments.

Adili and Baterbonia passed away on Monday, June 8 with initial findings confirming that the two players drowned after getting caught by the strong current into the deeper waters.

“The goal is not only to understand what happened, but to ensure that lessons learned lead to safer, more responsive systems that protect athletes while sustaining high-performance sport,” the PSC said in the statement.

“Excellence in sport requires environments that push human potential, but never at the expense of safety,” it added.

The formation of the fact-finding panel came following calls for deeper investigation on the incident especially after old interviews of former Ateneo players resurfaced indicating the nature of the annual training done by the Ateneo men’s basketball team in Aurora.

“The PSC stands in solidarity with the families and loved ones of Divine and Rene during this time of profound sorrow,” the statement said.

Related Tags

Rene Baterbonia Divine Adili Philippine Sports Commission UAAP Ateneo Blue Eagles
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