Camille Naredo

Ateneo team captain Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo address the community in a town hall at the Ateneo de Manila University campus, June 16, 2026. Contributed photo

Article (news)

ADMU

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17816253162091781624300493875.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Ateneo team captain Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo address the community in a town hall at the Ateneo de Manila University campus, June 16, 2026. Contributed photo"/>Ateneo team captain Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo address the community in a town hall at the Ateneo de Manila University campus, June 16, 2026. Contributed photo</div>MANILA -- What should have been a bonding activity ahead of UAAP Season 89 ended in unspeakable tragedy for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, as two members of their basketball team died last Monday, June 8, in the coastal town of Dipaculao, Aurora.Incoming rookie Rene Baterbonia and sophomore big man Divine Adili perished in a drowning incident that has thrown the Ateneo community into grief, while putting a stark spotlight on the university officials who have come under fire for how they responded.  <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/8/uaap-ateneo-s-adili-baterbonia-pass-away-in-drowning-incident-1959">READ: Ateneo&#x27;s Adili, Baterbonia pass away in drowning incident</a></div>On Tuesday, in a town hall at the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Katipunan, three members of the team shared with fellow students, professors, parents, and school officials what they remember from the fateful day.Ateneo team captain Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo described beginning the day in high spirits after successfully completing their first workout of the training camp early that morning.Espinosa said the team was awakened by sirens at nearly 5 a.m., and they were instructed to report to the beach within two minutes for running drills.According to him, the 18-year-old Baterbonia was even among the first players to finish the exercise.&quot;&#x27;Di namin expect na pinaka una siyang matatapos kasi kakarating niya lang at alam namin wala pa siya sa kundisyon,&quot; he said.&quot;And lahat ng players umabot sa time. Ang sarap lang sa feeling kasi first workout of the camp, successful na kagad. Natapos kami mga 5:30 am,&quot; added Espinosa.After the workout, the players prepared their own breakfast. The veterans cooked while the rookies cleaned, Bahay recalled.Since they had finished early, the team said they had time to simply relax and spend time together, especially because they did not have access to their cellphones.&quot;All phones were confiscated the night before. Wala kaming sense of time, and we were just waiting for the coaches to call us for the next activity,&quot; said Bahay.&quot;It really forced us to just talk to each other, get to know each other more as teammates, just to really connect better,&quot; said Bongo.The next activity was a game of dodgeball, which the players described as exhausting but enjoyable.Members of the winning teams were allowed to swim at the beach, while those who lost had to do push-ups first.&quot;Lahat nakakababad sa araw pero lahat tumatawa pa rin. Kahit sobrang pagod na, nakangiti pa rin. Wala kaming nakikitang nagrereklamo,&quot; said Espinosa.By lunchtime, the players said the camp continued with more lighthearted moments and funny mishaps.They recalled struggling to figure out how to use the grill, joking that the first batch of chicken they tried to cook ended up turning gray because of issues with the marinade.<div> </div><div>AFTERNOON DRILL GONE WRONG<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178162564031020251011-uaap-season88-ateneo-tab-baldwin-UAAPMedia3151.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Former Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin. UAAP Media/File"/>Former Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin. UAAP Media/FileBy 2:30 p.m., the players said they were instructed to jog in the water.</div>Espinosa recalled that their now-resigned head coach Tab Baldwin first asked who among them did not know how to swim.&quot;Nagtaas ako ng kamay. Sila Rene marunong lumangoy, sila Divine hindi marunong lumangoy. So yung mga hindi marunong lumangoy, dito lang kayo sa malapit, tapos yung exercise is sundan lang si coach sa shore,&quot; he said.As for those who knew how to swim, Bahay said they stayed in waters ranging from knee to waist-deep, while the coaches supervised and walked along the shore.&quot;Yung requirement, the water should be knee to waist, hindi aabot dito (sa dibdib) kasi hindi naman kami swimming team na lalangoy yung training. Training namin is to jog in the water. There&#x27;s resistance,&quot; he said.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/16/kieffer-alas-says-ateneo-team-building-not-an-initiation-rite-1953">READ: Kieffer Alas says Ateneo team-building not an &#x27;initiation rite&#x27;</a></div>At first, Bongo said they were still joking around.&quot;Everyone was having fun at first. Guys are yelling, we&#x27;re joking around that there were sharks, we&#x27;re just moving along the water,&quot; he said.But after several minutes, he said sea conditions suddenly changed and large waves began coming in.&quot;When the wave comes, you kind of jump to try to go over it, and you expect to land in the same spot every time that happened. You come down, the water rose a little bit. Another wave comes, you jump, the water rose a little bit more. By the third or fourth wave, coach started signaling, swim in as much as you can. But it came to a point where I was just floating,&quot; recalled Bongo, saying he could no longer feel the ground beneath his feet.Then came the screams of his other teammates.&quot;The first person that I noticed was KG, Kyle Gamber. He was like, screaming so loud, calling for help. I&#x27;ve never heard anybody scream like that. That&#x27;s when I realized it was bad, he really needs help. Panic really started settling in,&quot; said Bongo.Bahay said he also began to panic after experiencing cramps and realizing that, no matter how hard he swam, he was not getting any closer to shore.&quot;I know how to swim but it&#x27;s really difficult. At first I was trying to do (breast stroke) then I noticed I wasn&#x27;t moving. I tried to freestyle, I still wasn&#x27;t moving. I was doing the same pace for like three to four minutes. I started cramping and I started panicking,&quot; he said.Espinosa, who earlier admitted he did not know how to swim, said he saw Baterbonia struggling but could not do much to help as he was also fighting to stay afloat.&quot;Bumubwelo ako sa baba, tapos tatalon ako para may makita akong tao. Nung humihingi ako ng tulong, nakita ko si Rene sa likod… humihingi siya ng tulong. Tapos sinabihan ko tumalon ka lang. Tapos nung kumuha ulit ako ng bwelo, pag-angat ko, hindi ko na nakita si Rene,&quot; he said.&quot;Ang nakita ko si Divine sa likod, kasama niya si EJ (Kapihe), head down,&quot; he added.Espinosa said he thought he would not make it, but was eventually rescued by two of his coaches.&quot;Sabi ko baka ito na &#x27;yun… Kina-cramps na kasi yung kaliwa kong paa so yung ginagamit kong pang-talon, yung isa kong paa. Nung tumalon ulit ako, walang tao, sabi ko baka ito na nga talaga,&quot; he shared.&quot;Sabi ko, hindi, isa pa. Pagtalon ko, andun si Coach Sandro Soriano… pinu-push niya ako paangat. Pero nung time na &#x27;yun, sinasabi ko sa kanya ayaw ko na, ayaw ko na. Sabi niya, si Coach Tab nasa likod mo, may dala siyang floatie,&quot; he added.Bahay said he was able to pull at least four of his teammates to safety, including Michael Osoro and Alden Cainglet. He said he also saw Kieffer Alas make it out of the water, crying.He said new recruit EJ Kapihe was the first to tell him that Adili was in a bad state.&quot;I saw our new guy, EJ Kapihe, he was also crying. And he was telling me, &#x27;Divine&#x27;s gone bro, Divine&#x27;s gone&#x27;. I interpreted it as... I thought EJ didn&#x27;t see Divine but then in this scenario he already saw Divine floating like that because Divine didn&#x27;t know how to swim at all,&quot; he said.Bongo said Kapihe tried to bring Adili to shore but was unable to do so due to his size.&quot;EJ was helping Divine as much as he could. He was carrying him, trying to bring his body back in, but Divine was already unconscious, too heavy, so they were scrambling to find things to help them, like a floatie,&quot; he said.They also reported the situation to Baldwin, but said the head coach was already out of breath after rescuing Espinosa.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/12/-i-failed-as-a-leader-as-a-coach-says-baldwin-as-he-breaks-silence-on-adili-baterbonia-s-death-1935">READ: &#x27;I failed as a leader, as a coach,&#x27; says Baldwin as he breaks silence on Adili, Baterbonia&#x27;s deaths</a></div>&quot;Coach Tab just went to get Ian because he didn&#x27;t know how to swim so when he came back, he was struggling to breathe. He&#x27;s like 68 years old. I told him, &#x27;Coach, Divine&#x27;s gone, Divine&#x27;s gone,&#x27; and then everybody panicked,&quot; said Bahay.Espinosa, at that point, was vomiting and unaware that others were still missing.&quot;Pagdating ko sa shore, kasi marami akong tubig na nainom, sumuka ako tapos umiyak. &#x27;Di ko alam na may mga nawawala na pala na teammates… Kala ko kasi ako na yung pinaka-last na tinanggal kaya kala ko okay na lahat,&quot; said Espinosa.<div> </div><div>PANIC SETS IN<img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178162569288920230526-ateneo-de-manila-GCS151442.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Ateneo De Manila University campus in Katipunan, Quezon City in this photo taken on May 26, 2023. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News"/>Ateneo De Manila University campus in Katipunan, Quezon City in this photo taken on May 26, 2023. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News</div>Despite the panic, Bahay said he did not give up on his teammates who were still out in the water.&quot;Siguro nababaliw na &#x27;ko kasi may nakikita akong kamay, pero sabi nila wala daw silang nakikita. I was just hopeful na andun pa sila,&quot; he said.&quot;The whole time I was at sea lang, looking for them. I tried to tie a rope to a floatie to go to the deeper part. Wala po, mahirap, kasi yung waves sobrang lakas, bumabalik lang po ako and wala po akong magawa,&quot; he added.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/16/-i-was-going-to-accept-na-mawawala-na-po-ako-alas-speaks-up-on-dipaculao-tragedy-1924">&#x27;I was going to accept na mawawala na po ako&#x27;: Kieffer Alas speaks up on Dipaculao tragedy</a></div>When the waves calmed down, Bahay said they followed the direction where the currents &quot;appeared to end,&quot; and that was when they spotted Baterbonia.&quot;I went to Rene, saw him na walang malay. I was so scared po,&quot; he said.&quot;Doon na namin nakita si Rene na lumulutang na tapos nagba-bubbles yung ano niya, purple na yung lips. Dinala (sa shore),&quot; Espinosa added.Espinosa said Baldwin later asked him to pull his teammates away from the scene so &quot;the experts&quot; could do their jobs, including administering CPR.Later on, they said Adili was also found and brought ashore.They added that his body was already bloated at that point, although Espinosa said he had heard that Adili still had a pulse.When Baterbonia and Adili were brought to the hospital, Espinosa said Baldwin went with them, while the other players and coaches stayed behind.He said they were given back their phones so they could call their parents and inform them of what had happened.An hour later, Espinosa said Baldwin returned and delivered the bad news—Baterbonia and Adili did not survive.The players ended their account there, as the town hall audience collectively agreed not to ask further questions.&quot;They were not just students, they were victims as well,&quot; a faculty member even shouted.Officials of Ateneo de Manila University said the surviving players and coaches have already undergone debriefing.University President Fr. Bobby Yap, SJ, also earlier committed to continue supporting them as they cope with trauma and grief.&quot;We also know that you are grieving and in pain, compounded by reckless disinformation and even dangerous threats directed at you. We will continue to support you through this difficult time and will always be committed to your safety, especially as you also recover from this tragedy,&quot; Yap said during a press conference.Yap addressed the Ateneo community after the players, and fielded several calls for transparency and accountability, with students, professors and parents questioning the conduct of the school and how it has handled the aftermath of the tragedy.Baldwin and team manager Christopher &quot;Epok&quot; Quimpo <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/15/ateneo-head-coach-tab-baldwin-resigns-in-wake-of-student-athletes-deaths-1424">tendered their resignation</a> a week after the incident.Meanwhile, several government agencies are now looking into what happened, with members of the Ateneo coaching staff -- including Baldwin -- receiving subpoenas from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. During Tuesday&#x27;s town hall, Yap also revealed that he has been subpoenaed.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/16/baldwin-misses-nbi-probe-but-will-fully-cooperate-says-lawyer-1352">READ: Baldwin misses NBI probe but will &#x27;fully cooperate,&#x27; says lawyer</a></div>The CIDG has said that it is looking into <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/15/cidg-eyes-possible-hazing-homicide-charges-in-deaths-of-2-ateneo-student-athletes-1706">possible homicide and anti-hazing violations</a> in connection with the deaths of Adili and Baterbonia.

What should have been a bonding activity ahead of UAAP Season 89 ended in unspeakable tragedy for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, as two members of their basketball team died last Monday, June 8, in the coastal town of Dipaculao, Aurora.

What should have been a bonding activity ahead of UAAP Season 89 ended in unspeakable tragedy for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, as two members of their basketball team died last Monday, June 8, in the coastal town of Dipaculao, Aurora.

From team-building to tragedy: Ateneo players recount ill-fated Aurora trip

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From team-building to tragedy: Ateneo players recount ill-fated Aurora trip

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 17, 2026 12:14 AM PHT

Read More:

Ateneo town hall

Ateneo Blue Eagles

Jared Bahay

Ian Espinosa

Andrew Bongo

team-building activity

Dipaculao

Aurora

Rene Baterbonia

Divine Adili

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