PSC forms panel to investigate Ateneo athletes’ deaths

The Manila Times

PSC forms panel to investigate Ateneo athletes’ deaths

THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Tuesday said it has formed a panel that would look into the deaths of Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili. PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio said that the fact-finding body will assist the Philippine National Police and Department of Justice to come up with a comprehensive account of last Monday’s incident that claimed the lives of Baterbonia, 19, and Adili, 21. “The PSC is not the investigating task force/panel. We are here to help address this concern,” Gregorio said in a press conference. “We need to do this process so it doesn’t happen again,” he added in Filipino. Gregorio tapped Erika Dy from the Samahang Basketbol ng PIlipinas, PSC Commissioner Fritz Gaston, Commission of Higher Education Chairman Shirley Agrupis, University Athletic Association of the Philippines Executive Director Rebo Saguisag, Adamson University Vice President for Student Affairs Fr. Aldrin Suan, National Youth Commission Chairman Jeff Ortega, among others, to comprise the panel. “We will invite resource speakers so we can continue this process. What is very important is we need the formal report coming from the Philippine National Police,” Gregorio said. The consultation, he noted, will be done in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Office of the Press Secretary. The panel and stakeholders will meet on Wednesday afternoon at the PSC headquarters. Baterbonia and Adili drowned during a team-building activity held in a resort in Dipaculao, Aurora on Monday. Their “tragic passing” is a “profound tragedy for Philippine sports and for all who knew and supported them,” the PSC earlier said. At the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun, and Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said they would file a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry on the tragedy. In a statement on Tuesday, the three extended their condolences to the families and friends of Adili and Baterbonia as well as to the Ateneo community. “As champions of sports development for the Filipino youth, we have both the privilege and the responsibility to promote athletic excellence while ensuring the safety and welfare of every student-athlete,” the group said. “Tragedies like this must compel us to act with urgency and purpose.” The group added it aims “to institutionalize stricter safety standards for all school, sports, and team-building activities nationwide.” In a statement released Tuesday, Pinoy Workers Rep. Karl Fernandez Legazpi said he would file a resolution seeking a House inquiry on the matter in aid of legislation. “These young athletes had promising futures ahead of them. Beyond their talents on the court, they were sons, students, teammates, and individuals whose lives were filled with potential. Their untimely passing is a heartbreaking loss not only to their families and school, but also to Philippine sports,” he said in a statement.

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