I write this not merely as an observer but as an Atenean. The deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili have left many of us grieving, searching for answers, and struggling to reconcile the values we were taught with the response we have witnessed.
A Promise Cut Short
At the center of this tragedy are two promising student-athletes whose lives ended far too soon. For many of us in Mindanao, Rene Clert Baterbonia was more than a promising athlete recruited by one of the country’s most prestigious universities. He was Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) Senior High School’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a source of pride. He represented the hopes of countless young people from ordinary Filipino families who believe that talent, perseverance, and sacrifice can open doors. His journey proved that greatness is not reserved for those born into privilege.
Where Is Ateneo Now?
And so I ask a difficult question. Where is Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) now? Where is the institution that taught generations of students about justice, compassion, solidarity, and the dignity of every human person? Where is the urgency to comfort the families beyond official statements? Where is the transparency about what really transpired? Who should be held accountable?
The families deserve more than condolences. They deserve to know what happened. They deserve to know who approved the activity, what safety measures were in place, whether risks were properly assessed, and whether lapses occurred. Most importantly, they deserve to know that every effort is being made to ensure that no other family experiences the same tragedy.
Accountability Beyond Rhetoric
As an institution, it has often spoken about accountability in public life. It has challenged corruption, demanded transparency, and insisted that leaders answer for their actions. Those principles should not apply only when others under their ranks are under scrutiny. The true measure of integrity is not how loudly we demand accountability from others, but how we demand it from our own institution.
The Price of Athletic Excellence
This tragedy also raises a broader question that extends beyond Ateneo. How far is too far in the pursuit of athletic excellence? There is nothing wrong with rigorous training. Great athletes are not produced through comfort. Discipline, sacrifice, and hard work are essential to success. But there is a difference between discipline and unnecessary risk. There is a difference between preparation and recklessness. There is a difference between building character and endangering lives. At what point does a training and team-building activity stop being developmental and become something dangerous?
Many Filipinos are now asking whether some practices accepted in sports culture deserve closer scrutiny. Whether such practices fall under the legal definition of hazing is for authorities to determine. But no championship is worth a life.
A Call for Reform
This is why the Philippine Sports Commission’s proposal to review and standardize coaching, training and team building protocols across sports institutions deserves serious support. This tragedy should become a turning point for athlete welfare in the Philippines. Universities must be required to establish stricter safety standards, conduct mandatory risk assessments, implement emergency response protocols, and ensure proper supervision during all off-campus activities. Athlete welfare must always take precedence over tradition, prestige, rankings, or competitive success.
Perceptions of Inequality
What makes this tragedy even more painful is the perception, fair or unfair, that the victims came from ordinary families rather than influential ones. Many quietly ask whether the response would have been different had the victims come from the country’s most powerful families. Perceptions of inequality grow when transparency is absent.
Conclusion: Justice for Rene and Divine
As an Atenean, I do not write these words because I have lost faith in Ateneo. I write them because I believe Ateneo must live up to the values it has spent generations teaching. Today, the families of Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili deserve nothing less than the full truth. The Philippine sports community deserves reform. And everyone involved in planning, approving, supervising, and implementing the activities surrounding this tragedy must be subjected to a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation. Not because public pressure demands it. But because justice requires it. For Rene and for Divine.
