Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday said the family of Ateneo de Manila University recruit Rene Baterbonia should consider pursuing legal remedies following the teenager’s death during a team-building activity in Aurora, describing the incident as potentially “actionable” under the law.
Duterte said public pressure continues to build for a full accounting of the circumstances that led to the deaths of Baterbonia and fellow Ateneo student-athlete Divine Adili, a native of Nigeria, in Dipaculao town last Monday.
“As a lawyer, actionable ‘yung nangyari para sa akin,” Duterte told reporters after Independence Day activities in Davao City.
The Vice President stopped short of assigning blame but said the family should eventually consult legal counsel to determine whether accountability can be pursued through the courts.
“After they handle everything from the wake and the burial of their son, they have to sit down and think what steps to take to achieve justice for their son,” she said in Tagalog.
Baterbonia, 19, was one of the most promising young basketball players to emerge from Mindanao and was expected to bolster Ateneo’s rebuilding campaign in Season 89 University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
Authorities said the two players drowned after being swept away by strong currents during the team-building activity under the supervision of head coach Tab Baldwin.
Investigators have since launched separate inquiries into the incident, with the Department of Justice directing the National Bureau of Investigation to determine whether criminal negligence or other liabilities may have contributed to the tragedy.
Duterte also questioned Ateneo’s handling of the aftermath, saying the university should have provided more immediate support and communication to the grieving families.
“I feel that Ateneo was unable to reach out to the families (of the victims). When such things happen, it is just right that you reach out to the families and explain what happened,” she said.
The Vice President said the deaths were not ordinary incidents and warranted a higher level of institutional accountability.
“The school lacked support that should have been provided to the family. This wasn’t an ordinary incident. This was about the death of a student.”
The tragedy has shocked the collegiate sports community, with athletes, coaches and alumni demanding answers about the planning and supervision of the activity.
Ateneo has said it is cooperating fully with authorities and providing assistance to the families of the victims while an internal review is being conducted.
Duterte, a fellow Davao native like Baterbonia, said she hopes to personally pay her respects to the family once funeral arrangements are finalized.
For Baterbonia’s family, however, the search for answers may only be beginning as multiple investigations seek to determine whether the deaths were a tragic accident or the result of lapses that could have been prevented.
The remains of Baterbonia arrived in Davao City early Friday and was brought to the Ateneo de Davao University SHS Christ the King Chapel in Bangkal district.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) expects full compliance from summoned individuals with possible involvement in the death of Baterbonia and Adili.
PNP Chief P/Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said they expect full compliance and transparency from all coaches, players and other individuals who have been summoned.
“Ateneo is a highly-respected institution with strong support system to basketball. And we appreciate its commitment to cooperate in the entire investigation process in the interest of truth,” Nartatez said.
“We owe the parents and the people a clear explanation of what really happened amid all the speculations that have circulating on social media,” he added.
The PNP, through the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, confirmed that basketball players and coaches from Ateneo have been issued with subpoenas as part of the fact-finding investigation.
Authorities are also looking into possible violations of Republic Act 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, as part of the broader inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the team-building activity held at a beach resort.
Investigators from the Aurora Police Provincial Office previously reported that initial findings showed no indication of foul play.
