Chukwuemeka Divine Adili and Rene Clert Noja Baterbonia were student-athletes of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU)'s Blue Eagles men's basketball team. Adili, a 21-year Nigerian, and Baterbonia, an 18-year-old Filipino, drowned during a training activity at a beach resort in Dipaculao, Aurora, Philippines, on June 8, 2026.
Local police ruled the deaths accidental, stating that there was no foul play involved and that no weights were found on their bodies. Despite the ruling, the incident continued to receive widespread media attention and public scrutiny. The Blue Eagles' head coach, Tab Baldwin, and team manager, Epok Quimpo, resigned from their respective posts.
On June 17, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that the deaths were not accidental and began investigating at least seven persons of interest for possible homicide and hazing charges. While a task force of the National Bureau of Investigation has recommended filing complaints with the Department of Justice against Baldwin and other coaches in relation to the deaths, no case has been filed in any court.
The deaths prompted discussions about the safety of student-athletes amid the growing commercialization of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), as well as the alleged shortcomings of the Ateneo coaching staff and administration. The UAAP has since banned Baldwin from all competitions and related activities permanently.
Backgrounds Chukwuemeka Divine Adili was born on April 14, 2005, in Nigeria to Elias and Ifeoma Joy Adili. He was the eldest of four siblings. Adili moved to the Philippines in 2023 to study at the New Era University (NEU). He helped NEU's junior team win two straight championships at the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) and was also named two-time NAASCU Most Valuable Player (MVP). He also joined as a center for the Blue Eagles for UAAP Season 88 in 2025. Adili was a sophomore at ADMU at the time of his death.
Rene Clert Noja Baterbonia was born on May 8, 2008 to Rovelyn () and Rene Baterbonia Sr. Baterbonia hailed from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, and pursued his studies in Davao City, where he represented the Blue Knights of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU). He was the second of seven siblings and grew up in a very close-knit household. He was named MVP after leading the Davao Region to the 2025 Palarong Pambansa championship. He joined the Ateneo Blue Eagles, which was viewed as a major boost for the team's future. He had also participated in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa two weeks before his death, where he helped secure the team a silver medal. Baterbonia was an incoming freshman at ADMU at the time of his death.
Following the incident, videos surfaced detailing previous team-building activities organized by coach Tab Baldwin. The 2017 iteration has been described as a "boot camp" and done with a "military-style" training by its participants. The 2026 Eagles annual exercise was overseen by Baldwin and a week-long event which was expected to last from June 8 to 14, 2026.
According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), information obtained by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) indicated that the team-building activity was connected to the selection of 17 players for the men's basketball team roster that Baldwin would submit to the board of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP); 20 athletes participated in the activity. Blue Eagles interim head coach Louis Alas, who replaced Baldwin following his resignation, told the DILG that the activity was not basketball-specific and was intended to assess the players' physical condition and mental toughness.
Deaths
On June 8, 2026, Adili informed his father, Elias, that he was on his way to Hermanos Leisure Farm and Surf Camp in Barangay Lipit, Dipaculao, Aurora; it was their final conversation.
CIDG director Robert Morico II said the players took part in calisthenics and other beach activities on the morning of June 8 before resting in the afternoon. Morico said that, at around 2:30 p.m. (PHT), the players were brought about from the resort for a water activity, during which they walked and jogged in the seawater despite having been briefed on strong currents and tides in the area.
Baterbonia and Adili reportedly encountered strong waves and currents during the activity. A resort lifeguard was informed of the incident at around 2:50 p.m. and responded to the area where the players had last been seen, while the incident was reported to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) and referred to the Dipaculao Police Station. Their bodies were found about 40 minutes later, after which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed before they were brought to Aurora Memorial Hospital in Baler, where they were declared dead on arrival. They were 18 and 21, respectively. In an interview with Pia Hontiveros, ADMU players Sam Reyes and Kieffer Alas gave accounts of the rescue efforts; Reyes said teammates told him Adili still had a pulse when brought to shore and that he was transported to the hospital in a police vehicle after the ambulance carrying Baterbonia had left, while Alas said teammate EJ Kapihe attempted to rescue Adili. Reyes also said Baterbonia was found first after an extended period underwater, that the team's physical therapist performed CPR on him, and that players helped carry him from the water. The MDRRMO publicly released drone footage that captured the retrieval operations.
Baterbonia's wake was held at Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City from June 10 to 11 and at the Ateneo de Davao Senior High School Campus Chapel from June 12 to 14, before his remains were transferred to his home province of Agusan del Sur on June 15. On June 24, his remains were laid to rest at the New Talacogon Public Cemetery in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.
Adili's family requested that an autopsy be conducted before his remains were flown to Nigeria. On June 21, Adili's remains were repatriated to Nigeria. On June 26, these were finally laid to rest in Umueri, his hometown.
Investigations The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe the incident. The NBI subsequently organized a task force to investigate the deaths. The Aurora Provincial Police Office confirmed that Baterbonia's cause of death was asphyxia by drowning.
The police said that Adili and Baterbonia had gone from the resort grounds and asked to leave them alone when the resort owner asserted that it was safe to be there and that a lifeguard was on stand-by. Contrary to rumors circulating online, the witnesses, lifeguards, and responders stated that no ankle weights were worn during the team training. The responders added that the rope attached to Baterbonia's foot was part of a lifebuoy. The police have ruled out foul play at this stage but are investigating whether there was negligence or liability on the part of the coaching staff, the resort, or the school administration.
The Dipaculao local government unit (LGU) stated that neither ADMU nor the team's coaches coordinated the activity with local authorities, and mayor Danilo Tolentino noted that had they been informed, the LGU could have provided safety monitoring and assistance. The municipal tourism office observed that there were no warning signs at the resort regarding dangerous sea conditions, specifically rip currents. While the resort's permits were valid, it lacked Department of Tourism (DOT) accreditation. Additionally, while the resort management had advised the team about sea conditions and safe areas, the team reportedly asked not to be interfered with during their activity.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) issued separate subpoenas for Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin, with the CIDG also issuing subpoenas for four other members of the Blue Eagles' top management. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that only ADMU athletics director Em Fernandez appeared before the CIDG. Likewise, Baldwin did not appear before the DOLE and sent his lawyer instead.
At a media conference on June 15, CIDG director Robert Morico II announced that they were investigating possible homicide or hazing charges against at least seven persons of interest connected to the drowning. Morico said the CIDG had begun interviewing the team's coaching staff, players, and former members to establish the circumstances before and after the incident. Via 24 Oras, Pelagio Cuison—legal counsel of Reynaldo Jacinto, one of the Blue Eagles' coaches—dismissed the accusations and asserted that the incidents were entirely accidental and the exercises were not excessive.
In a June 16 interview with Pia Hontiveros, Blue Eagles players Kieffer Alas and Sam Reyes also denied that the exercise was a hazing initiation rite, reiterating that it was merely intended to build rapport among members of the basketball team.
On June 17, Morico said the CIDG did not consider the incident accidental and stated that four Blue Eagles players had drowned during the team-building activity, two of whom survived. Morico also said that the agency would issue another subpoena to Baldwin and other staff members, including a request for drone footage taken during the activity.
That same day, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the DOJ had issued an immigration lookout bulletin order, which directs the Bureau of Immigration to monitor a person's travel, against Baldwin, former team manager Christopher "Epok" Quimpo, and three assistant coaches in connection with the investigation. The order was issued after requests from Baterbonia's family, through their lawyer Israelito Torreon, and the CIDG.
On June 26, the CIDG recommended filing charges for alleged violations of the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 against Baldwin and ten other members of the Ateneo men's basketball program in connection with the deaths of Adili and Baterbonia. The DOJ said it would evaluate the evidence and determine whether to conduct a preliminary investigation or request further case development from the CIDG. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators were examining whether the team-building and training activities, including alleged forced calisthenics and exposure to weather, fell within the law's definition of hazing.
The CIDG later submitted a supplemental referral to the DOJ recommending the evaluation of additional complaints for homicide and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against Baldwin and other individuals connected to the team-building activity. The CIDG said the complaints were forwarded for case build-up and evaluation, but did not disclose the basis for the additional allegations while the investigation was ongoing. It also said another person had been added as a respondent in the alleged Anti-Hazing Act violation, without identifying the individual. The DOJ said the supplemental referral would be treated as part of the CIDG's original referral dated on June 26, 2026, which remained under evaluation.