As questions continue to surround the tragic events that unfolded in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8, veteran journalist and broadcaster Pia Hontiveros announced that two members of the Ateneo men’s basketball team have chosen to speak publicly about what happened during the ill-fated trip.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, Hontiveros admitted that the silence following the tragedy had been deeply unsettling. She stressed that in moments of public crisis, accountability is expected from institutions and individuals alike.
“Every single day that went by without a face of the Ateneo de Manila to talk about the nightmare in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8 … was like a nightmare in and of itself,” she wrote.
According to Hontiveros, she received a message from a close friend informing her that members of the team wanted to share their side of the story. The invitation led to a candid interview recorded at The Pod Network studios.
The episode features two student-athletes: Kieffer Alas, a 19-year-old freshman psychology student wearing jersey number 1, and Sam Reyes, a 21-year-old international studies student and jersey number 34.
Rather than focusing on speculation, Hontiveros said she approached the conversation with a single question: “What happened?”
“The overarching, main and major question that I posed to Kieff and Sam was simply: ‘what happened?’ And I listened,” she said.
The interview comes amid ongoing public scrutiny following the deaths of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, a tragedy that has sparked widespread calls for transparency and accountability. Hontiveros noted that the students recounted the events of that day in full during the recorded discussion.
The broadcaster described the upcoming episode as one worth waiting for, signaling that viewers and listeners may finally hear firsthand accounts from individuals who were present during the incident.
The interview is scheduled for release on June 16 through Spotify and YouTube, just a day after Ateneo de Manila University held a press conference and formally apologized to the families of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.