Investigators in Aurora have concluded that no criminal element was involved in the deaths of Ateneo de Manila University basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, characterizing the fatal incident in Dipaculao as a tragic mishap.
Acting Provincial Director PCol. Percival Pineda of the Aurora Police Provincial Office delivered the finding on Tuesday, basing it on statements gathered from the players’ companions who were present when the two went under.
“So, base po sa ating nakuhang kalaysay ng mga kasama niya, ito pong isidente na ito ay talaga pong purely accident. So natural accident po yung pangyayari, hindi po talaga inaasahan, at wala po tayong, sa ngayon wala po tayong nakikitang foul play sa aksidente na ito,” Pineda said.
The two student-athletes died on the afternoon of June 8 while the Blue Eagles were holding a team-building activity in the coastal Aurora town. According to the account assembled by responders, Baterbonia and Adili had been swimming alongside a teammate when they drifted into a deeper section of the water and were pulled out by a powerful current.
The Police Regional Office 3 (PRO 3) had earlier laid out the same sequence of events, with regional director Police Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez noting that the swimmers were caught off guard by the surge that dragged them further from shore. Both the regional command and the provincial office have committed to a full review of the circumstances.
A distress call reached the Dipaculao Municipal Police Station at roughly 5:45 p.m. from the local disaster risk reduction office, prompting officers to rush to the scene and join rescue efforts. The two were taken to Aurora Memorial Hospital, where attending medical staff later pronounced them dead.
Beyond the local probe, the case has drawn wider institutional attention. The Philippine Sports Commission announced on Tuesday that it is convening a panel of sports stakeholders to assist the inquiry, with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the UAAP, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Youth Commission taking part.
Pineda, in a separate statement issued through his office, urged the public to treat the deaths as a warning about the hazards of open-water recreation, stressing that the sea remains unpredictable and that caution should govern any activity near it. He likewise asked that observers hold off on conjecture while the formal investigation runs its course.
