A member of the Ateneo de Manila University coaching staff urged the public not to add fuel to the fire following the deaths of Blue Eagles Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili in a drowning incident last Monday in Dipaculao, Aurora.
Assistant coach Louie Alas, whose son Kieffer was also a part of the training camp, said in a social media post that he would not let his son even join the alleged “boot camp” if he knew it was not properly planned in the first place.
Kieffer was supposed to join forces with the 18-year-old Baterbonia and 21-year-old Adili in Season 89 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament before the tragedy struck.
The school released a video of Baldwin last Friday where the Kiwi-American mentor apologized for the deaths of the two players.
“I did not join at the last minute because I visited my eldest brother in Unisan, Quezon. My son was part of that team-building,” Alas said.
“Do you think I would have let him go to the event if I knew the program was dangerous or not properly planned? I mean you don’t know the program because you weren’t there. Please help us heal by praying.”
The rest of the Blue Eagles have yet to give their side of the story as of press time as the investigation is ongoing.
A wake was held for Baterbonia at Christ the King Chapel, Bangkal Campus until Sunday while Adili’s remains will be brought back home to Nigeria.
The UAAP is still waiting for the investigations to be finished before making any decisions on the fate of Ateneo.
