Ateneo de Manila University guard Kieffer Alas has defended the university’s basketball program and team management following the tragic deaths of Blue Eagles student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Clert Baterbonia during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.
The incident, which occurred on Monday, June 8, has sent shockwaves through Philippine collegiate sports, prompting widespread grief from teammates, coaches, alumni, sports officials, and basketball organizations. What was meant to be a bonding exercise ahead of another UAAP campaign ended in tragedy, as two young athletes with promising futures were lost.
According to Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3), initial reports showed that Adili and Baterbonia were swimming when they were caught by strong currents and swept into deeper waters. Rescue efforts were immediately conducted, but both were later declared dead. Authorities have since launched a full investigation into the incident and have urged the public to refrain from speculation while fact-finding continues.
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Alas, along with teammate Sam Reyes, appeared on The Pod Network’s “Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros,” where he addressed online speculation suggesting that the activity was an initiation rite for rookies, firmly rejecting those claims.
“No, not at all. It just hurts how people perceive it that way. I know my veterans wouldn’t even think of that. Nothing, they wouldn’t do that to me or in any other rookies. It’s hard to see it online,” Alas said.
The young guard also clarified that then-head coach Tab Baldwin intended the activity strictly as a team-building exercise, part of a long-standing program designed to strengthen camaraderie and mental toughness within the Ateneo program known as the “Blue Eagle Band of Brothers” (BEBOB). He added that players were briefed beforehand about safety concerns, including the presence of strong and unpredictable currents.
kieffer alas’ experience that day.
nwalan na rin siya ng pag-asa dahil matagal na siyang nasa ilalim at marami na rin siyang nainom na tubig.
ayan ‘yung mga galit na galit dyan at hindi nakakaintindi, lahat sila rito, biktima. stop blaming kief, stop blaming the players ‼️ pic.twitter.com/zWC4kzPUEW
— ً 🥢 (@jianfics) June 16, 2026
“Coach Tab was saying that the team-building was for us to get closer and to build that mental toughness. To get us closer, like brotherhood. We had a pretty long discussion about it. They warned us about the uneven sand. You can randomly go back down and up and up, so swim vertically to the shore when there’s a rip current,” he added.
Alas also opened up about the harrowing experience he endured during the incident, admitting he reached a point where he believed he would not survive.
“My head wasn’t clear because I didn’t know what to do. It felt like I was underwater for more than 20 seconds. I felt like giving up. I was really giving up. I was ready to accept that I might die. It felt like forever. Before I finally touched the ocean floor, time just seemed to keep stretching on. Then I finally felt the ocean floor,” he said.
The 19-year-old rookie added that he does not know how to swim and relied heavily on instinct and presence of mind to survive the situation.
“I jumped po and gasped for air, but the others were already far away from me. I was screaming for help. Malcolm Tyler went a bit closer to me and just kept screaming in my ear while saving Ian Espinosa. It’s like you were floating and it worked for a bit but it just kept bringing me further from the shore. So I tried doing a thing that I would lie flat whenever a wave came. Then when the wave passed, since I didn’t know how to swim, I would dog-paddle. I just kept repeating that because I had been in the water for so long,” Alas continued.
As the Ateneo community continues to mourn, tributes have poured in from across Philippine sports, honoring not only the players’ athletic promise but also the lives they lived beyond the court.
For Ateneo, the UAAP community, and Philippine basketball as a whole, the tragedy serves as a painful reminder of life’s fragility—even for young athletes on the verge of promising careers.
Though their journeys were cut short far too soon, Adili and Baterbonia leave behind a lasting impact on teammates, coaches, friends, and loved ones that will endure long after the final buzzer.
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