Ateneo de Manila University has placed head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo on leave while a fact-finding inquiry is conducted into the deaths of basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
In a statement released Thursday, the university disclosed preliminary information about the June 8 team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, where the two athletes drowned.
According to Ateneo, the team was conducting a conditioning exercise in knee-deep water near the shoreline when they were suddenly engulfed by large waves and a strong rip current.
The university said most of the players were able to return safely to shore, but Baterbonia and Adili were swept away.
Ateneo also directly addressed allegations circulating online regarding the use of weights during the activity.
“We state categorically, to protect the dignity of our fallen players, that no weights of any kind were used during this exercise,” the university said.
The university’s Board of Trustees has ordered a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry that will include the establishment of a detailed timeline of events, a review of athletic and safety protocols, and interviews with all individuals involved.
Ateneo said the findings will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for appropriate action.
The university said Baldwin and Quimpo voluntarily went on leave to preserve the integrity, independence, and fairness of the investigation and to ensure that participants can cooperate freely without actual or perceived pressure.
Ateneo also said it is fully cooperating with investigations being conducted by authorities into the incident.
