Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the area at an Aurora beach resort in which two Ateneo de Manila University basketball players died of drowning has been recovered, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Thursday.
‘The case is being handled through evidence-based and forensic procedures. Investigators are continuing to piece together the circumstances surrounding the incident,’ PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.
‘CCTV footage from the area has already been recovered to help reconstruct the sequence of events,’ he noted. ‘We have been communicating with all parties concerned and coordinating with other investigating agencies in relation to this incident.’
Ateneo players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili were participating in their teambuilding activity at a beach resort in Dipaculao, Aurora on Monday afternoon when they were supposedly swept away by a current, the police said.
The two players were recovered from near the shoreline around 30 to 40 minutes later, Aurora police chief Col. Percival Pineda noted.
‘The unfortunate incident involving two college basketball players should not be a topic of online hate and debate. Let us show respect to the families, and trust the ongoing process of finding out what really happened,’ Nartatez said.
‘We urge our netizens to be responsible by refraining from speculations and sharing unverified stories and reports. Allow us to do our job and we assure of our commitment to finish the investigation in the soonest possible time,’ he added.
The PNP chief earlier ordered a more thorough investigation into the incident, vowing that there would be no cover-up in the probe.
Ateneo previously extended its condolences and support to Baterbonia and Adili’s families.
Baterbonia, 19, recently played in the Palarong Pambansa finals two weeks ago and committed to the Blue Eagles program.
Adili, 21, a Nigerian foreign student athlete, played in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament last year.