Ateneo players facing death threats after Aurora tragedy

Ateneo players Sam Reyes, left, and Kieffer Alas speak up during an episode of Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros podcast on the Aurora tragedy that claimed the lives of two of their teammates.–Photo screengrabbed on The Pod Network Entertainment YouTube channel

MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo’s Kieffer Alas said he and some of the Blue Eagles have received death threats on social media following the fatal drowning of their teammates Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during training camp in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.

There have also been comments blaming them for their teammates’ tragic deaths and citing jealousy as the reason.

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READ: Ateneo’s Sam Reyes says ‘I felt I could’ve done more’ to save Baterbonia

“It’s like going through two deaths. The first one is losing our two teammates, and now being criticized for their deaths. We lost them; we’ve witnessed it happen. Then, I don’t know every social media person or anybody, they’re just putting the blame on us,” Alas said in the Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros podcast on Tuesday.

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“I just turned 19. It’s just hard. I didn’t think I would be experiencing this,” he added.

Sam Reyes echoed Alas’ sentiments.

“It’s just hard, the comments that they’re saying that we’re just jealous that we did it because we’re jealous. It’s just killing us because we’re there and we lost two of our brothers. It’s really painful to survive what happened but it’s also killing us at the same time,” Reyes, who is in his second year with Ateneo, said.

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READ: Ateneo’s Kieffer Alas, Sam Reyes share near-death experiences in Aurora camp

Alas, the highly-touted prospect who officially joined the Blue Eagles on March 3, also felt that the lack of information did not help prevent the spread of speculations and rumors surrounding the incident.

Alas and Reyes squashed claims that the players wore ankle weights or weight belts during the team-building activity. They added that no initiation rites were performed.

The incident has triggered formal investigations by the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). The UAAP and Ateneo de Manila University have also launched their own probes.

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