MANILA — The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Thursday said it has identified several persons of interest in the drowning of Ateneo basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
Persons of interest are people identified as part of an ongoing investigation but are not suspects.
“We have several persons of interest. We’re trying our best to elicit their participation in the investigation in the interest of justice,” Police Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II, CIDG director, said in a media briefing at police headquarters in Camp Crame.
Morico refused to name the persons of interest but noted that there were no fewer than three.
“They are the school authorities that were together with the team. Sila ‘yong nagdala doon sa (They brought the team to) Aurora,” he said.
Baterbonia and Adili were swept away by waves while in waist-deep water, an activity that police said was described by the coaching staff as part of their “training.”
They were found unconscious after more than 30 minutes of searching and were declared dead on arrival at a hospital.
A post-mortem examination later found that the two student-athletes died of “asphyxia by drowning.”
SUBPOENAS ISSUED
Morico said subpoenas have been issued to more than 20 individuals, including the coaches and players present during the fatal activity, as part of fact-finding efforts.
He said police are also checking for possible violations of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.
“There are also allegations coming from past athletes that they are afraid to go to Aurora, and there are past incidents where there were drowning incidents,” Morico noted.
The CIDG chief acknowledged that lawyers for the Baterbonia family have asked the Department of Justice to issue an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order for “certain persons” — the specific request was for an ILBO for Ateneo basketball coach Tab Baldwin.
ILBOs direct immigration officials to note a subject's movements in and out of the country and to have them go through secondary inspection if necessary.
They are different from Hold-Departure Orders that courts issue to prevent people facing trial from leaving the country.
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