Ateneo launches scholarship in memory of cagers who drowned

PHOTO: Rene Baterbonia’s Facebook and UAAP

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) is launching a scholarship program in honor of varsity athletes Divine Adili and Rene “Bobet” Baterbonia, two members of its college basketball team who drowned during a team building activity on June 8.

In a statement issued Friday, ADMU said the establishment of the Blue Eagle Athletic Scholarship Fund serves as tribute to the two players, whose death led to a criminal investigation of the team’s coaching staff and placed the top-ranking, Jesuit-run school under intense public scrutiny over its handling of the tragedy.

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“We hope these scholarships will ensure that their names, their spirit, and the values they embodied continue to inspire and support future generations of Ateneo student-athletes,” it said.

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Financial assistance under the program will be extended to aspiring student-athletes residing outside Metro Manila, and will be administered under ADMU’s Office of Admission and Aid.

On Friday, ADMU president Fr. Robert ‘Bobby’ Yap presided over a Mass marking the 40th day since Baterbonia and Adili’s death.

“Even after 40 days we are not moving on. We continue to offer care for the grieving families of Rene and Divine, for our players and their families, and for the coaching staff,” Yap said. —Holly Bacay

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