Time to man up

The Ateneo tragedy in Aurora has created an uproar across the country with the school’s students and faculty staging a “solidarity” walkout to demonstrate their indignation in the call for transparency, accountability and justice last Friday. Ateneo is conducting its own “independent” fact-finding investigation behind the drowning incident resulting in the deaths of Ateneo basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building exercise in an Aurora resort. But there appears to be concern on how Ateneo is conducting its own investigation when the institution itself may be liable for this tragedy.

Several government agencies are involved in looking into this sad case which some claim to have been predictable and preventable. CIDG and NBI aren’t ruling out foul play, dismissing a local Aurora police conclusion that it was an accident. While nobody wanted the tragedy to happen, there could be a basis for reckless imprudence leading to double homicide or involuntary manslaughter. Gross negligence is arguable considering the dangers of treading on treacherous waters in the open sea with some athletes not knowing how to swim.

Apparently, this method of team-building has been going on for years and an Ateneo player GBoy nearly drowned before. Yet, Ateneo insists it had no knowledge of this kind of training, distancing the university from culpability despite owning the basketball team. Assuming it was unaware, the question is should it have been aware?

Finger-pointing has been prevalent in what has developed into an endless blame game. Coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have resigned. Were they asked to resign or did they do so voluntarily? Baldwin is represented by lawyers. Is Ateneo footing the bill? If it is, how can the university conduct an independent investigation? Ateneo is pointing to the MVP Sports Foundation as the team’s funder, implying accountability. But how is a sponsor accountable for what the team does unlawfully? A sponsor is a supporter not a supervisor.

UAAP initially said it wouldn’t impose a preventive suspension on Ateneo or anyone connected with the incident but later announced it was suspending Ateneo coaches present in Aurora. The decision seems to indicate the UAAP will let everyone else off the hook, including Ateneo, and instead throw the book at the fall guys. How UAAP will eventually deal with this is the focus of everyone’s attention. UAAP slapped a one-year suspension on Adamson for playing an ineligible athlete in 1994-95, a one-year suspension on La Salle’s entire sports program (including high school) in 2006 for voluntarily submitting it had lined up two ineligible basketball players in a previous season and an indefinite suspension on UST coach Aldin Ayo for violating pandemic rules in 2020. None of those suspensions involved a death but UAAP was unforgiving in handing out one-year suspensions. Will the UAAP’s Old Boys Club exonerate a member school despite the two deaths when it was brutal in suspending others for lesser causes? Will justice be served?

Ateneo doesn’t seem bothered by this incident and appears to be preparing to play in the coming UAAP season with the appointment of “temporary” head coach Louie Alas. How insensitive to announce the appointment. To at least regain a vestige of its integrity, Ateneo should withdraw from playing this UAAP season out of respect for Baterbonia and Adili and in remorse for their deaths. This sacrifice delivers a message that the institution prioritizes compassion, empathy and humanity over winning basketball championships.