Senators on Friday, June 12 said the families of Ateneo basketball players Divine Adili and Rene Clert Baterbonia deserve to know the truth and achieve justice.

Ateneo men's basketball coach Tab Baldwin, center, is seen with members of the team during a vigil in honor of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. (The GUIDON Facebook)

In separate statements, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Sen. Pia Cayetano said it is imperative for authorities to provide closure to the families of the athletes who died supposedly during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.

“Napakasakit ng nangyari kina Rene Baterbonia at Divine Adili. Taos-puso akong nakikiramay sa kanilang mga pamilya, teammates, at buong Atenean community. Walang salitang sapat para punan ang ganitong pagkawala (What happened to Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili is deeply painful. My deepest condolences go out to their families, teammates, and the entire Atenean community. There are no words to fill this loss),” Hontiveros said.

“Bilang isang biyuda, minsan na rin akong nagpaalam nang masyadong maaga sa isang mahal sa buhay. Kaya alam kong hindi sapat ang pakikiramay.  Sa mga pamilya nina Rene at Divine, bukas ang aking opisina at handa kaming tumulong sa anumang paraang maaari (As a widow, I have also said goodbye to a loved one too soon. So I know that condolences are not enough. To the families of Rene and Divine, my office is open and we are ready to help in any way we can),” she said.

As investigations on the circumstances on their deaths continue, Hontiveros expressed hope that the full truth about the events that led to the tragedy would be revealed.

“Kung may kapabayaan at kakulangan, dapat may managot. Utang natin kina Rene at Divine ang katotohanan (If there was negligence and incompetence, someone must be held accountable. We owe Rene and Divine the truth),” she said.

Cayetano also said that as parents of student-athletes, “we hold our breath through every game and every training session.”

“We fear injuries. We fear accidents. But no parent is ever prepared for the call that their child has died,” she said.

“We grieve with their families. Nothing can bring them back. But they deserve justice. And their families deserve the truth,” Cayetano also stressed.

Earlier, Sen. Robinhood Padilla said he has prepared and signed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili.

Padilla said the tragic loss of two young student-athletes highlights the need to review whether existing policies, supervision requirements, emergency preparedness measures, and risk management protocols are sufficient to ensure the safety of students participating in school-related activities.

“What happened to Rene and Divine is very painful. They were young people full of dreams and had a bright future. We owe it to their families, to their schools, and to all Filipino students to ensure that we can provide answers for what happened and strengthen measures so that this does not happen again to others,” said Padilla.

On Wednesday evening, Padilla personally visited Arlington Memorial Chapels to pay his respects and extend his condolences to the family of Rene Clert Baterbonia.

Padilla, nevertheless, emphasized that the proposed Senate inquiry is not intended to prematurely assign blame, but rather to establish the facts surrounding the tragedy and identify reforms that could help prevent similar incidents in the future.

“Our goal is not to immediately find blame but to ensure that we learn from this tragedy. If there are deficiencies in policies, processes, or safety mechanisms, it is our duty to fix and strengthen them for the benefit of our youth,” Padilla said.