Rowegie Abanto

The Mingan Mountains, which is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain range as seen from Dingalan, Aurora in this photo taken on October 8, 2019. Gigie Cruz/File

The Mingan Mountains, which is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain range as seen from Dingalan, Aurora in  this photo taken on October 8, 2019. Gigie Cruz

Article (news)

SIERRA MADRE

Jessie Cruzat

Michael Delizo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178114757701120181008-sierra-madre-dingalan-GCS2352.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Mingan Mountains, which is part of the Sierra Madre Mountain range as seen from Dingalan, Aurora in this photo taken on October 8, 2019. <em>Gigie Cruz/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Ateneo student-athletes <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1385718406939802">Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia</a>, who <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/8/uaap-ateneo-s-adili-baterbonia-pass-away-in-drowning-incident-1959">drowned</a> in a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8, could have been carried away from the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/10/police-secure-resort-video-recorder-in-probe-of-ateneo-athletes-drowning-1637">shoreline</a> by a rip current, according to a preliminary investigation.</div><p><strong></strong>What is a rip current, and how can one escape from it?</p><p>Capt. Cheska Ana Jamorol, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard Technical Diving Group, explained that a rip current is a strong and narrow water current that flows away from the shore toward deeper waters.</p><p>&quot;Ito po ay nabubuo kapag ang mga alon ay nagtutulak ng tubig papunta sa baybayin at ang naipong tubig ay naghahanap ng daan pabalik sa dagat,&quot; she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/10/house-probe-sought-into-safety-accountability-in-school-sports-programs-1101">NBI to probe death of 2 Ateneo basketball players; House probe into sports programs sought</a></div><p>Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. </p><p>It said lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the US every year, but around 100 people are killed by rip currents annually.  </p><p>Jamorol said rip currents can often be identified by changes in the color and movement of the water.</p><p>&quot;Ito yung bahagi ng tubig na naiiba ang kulay kumpara sa paligid. Ito din po yung tubig na nagdadala ng bula, kasama po yung mga damong dagat, saka iba pang bagay, palayo sa baybayin,&quot; she said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT TO DO</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Jamorol advised beachgoers who are caught in a rip current to remain calm and avoid swimming directly against the flow.</p><p>&quot;So unang-una po dapat manatiling kalmado, siyempre para makapag-isip pa. At huwag pong lumangoy nang diretso, pabalik sa pampang, laban sa agos. Kasi ito po yung magko-cause ng pagkapagod n&#x27;yo. Pag napagod kayo, doon po mag-drowning,&quot; she said.</p><p>The NOAA said rip currents &quot;won’t pull you under, they will just pull you away from shore.&quot;</p><p>&quot;If you can, swim out of the current along the beach and then back to shore at an angle following the breaking waves. If you can’t escape, float or tread water while you wave and call for help on shore,&quot; it said. </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2vr7Bheu6YU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>If you are on shore and see someone caught in a rip current, alert lifeguards or if there is no one to help, call 911.</p><p>&quot;Look for a flotation device or anything that floats and see if you can get it to the person without entering the water. If you must enter the water, remember to always take a flotation device. All too often, someone attempting to make the rescue without the proper training and equipment is the one who drowns,&quot; NOAA said.</p><p>PCG&#x27;s Jamorol urged organizers to carefully plan sea-based team-building activities and monitor weather and ocean conditions beforehand.</p><p>She recommended checking forecasts and marine advisories through the website of PAGASA to assess wave and current conditions before scheduled activities.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/9/mother-mourns-loss-of-rene-baterbonia-after-team-building-tragedy-1516">Mother mourns loss of Rene Baterbonia after team-building tragedy</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GhAzUZ_IDBM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Ateneo student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, who drowned in a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8, could have been carried away from the shoreline by a rip current, according to a preliminary investigation.</p>

Ateneo student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, who drowned in a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8, could have been carried away from the shoreline by a rip current, according to a preliminary investigation.

What is a rip current, and how can one escape from it?

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What is a rip current, and how can one escape from it?

Jessie Cruzat,

Michael Delizo,

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 11, 2026 11:51 AM PHT

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Updated June 11, 2026 11:55 AM PHT

Read More:

Rip Current

Riptide

Divine Adili

Rene Baterbonia

Ateneo

Basketball

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