MANILA – The Ateneo de Manila University announced on Thursday the establishment of the 'Blue Eagle Athletic Scholarship Funds' in honor of the late student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia.
The move was announced through a memo addressed to the Ateneo community signed by University President Fr. Roberto "Bobby" Yap SJ.
"Ateneo de Manila University has established two Blue Eagle Athletic Scholarship Funds in honor of our beloved student-athletes, Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia," the memo stated.
"More than a tribute, these Funds are our promise that their names, their spirit, and the joy they brought to Ateneo athletics will live on in the young Eagles who follow them," it further read.
The two scholarship funds aim to provide financial aid to deserving student-athletes who live outside Metro Manila, similar to Adili and Baterbonia.
The late student-athletes were members of the Ateneo Men's Basketball Team, who died due to drowning in a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora last June 8.
Adili was a foreign student-athlete from Nigeria, while Baterbonia was a Palarong Pambansa MVP who had been studying in Davao City but hailed from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.
"Each Fund will provide financial assistance to deserving student-athletes who hail from outside Metro Manila and will be administered by the Office of Admission and Aid, ensuring that Divine’s and Rene’s legacy continues to open doors, lift dreams, and form men and women for and with others," the memo stated.
More information about the scholarship funds may be inquired through the Office of University Development and Alumni Affairs.
"May we, as one community, honor Divine and Rene not only with our remembrance, but with our renewal," the memo ended.
The National Bureau of Investigation recommended the filing of criminal charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former Ateneo men's basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and 11 others in connection with the deaths of Adili and Baterbonia.
The NBI found probable cause to recommend charges ranging from reckless imprudence resulting in homicide to simple negligence resulting in homicide based on its investigation.
The DOJ earlier said the recommendations made by the NBI and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have been consolidated.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) on Tuesday granted the request of Ateneo for an extension to submit its official findings from the original deadline from July 15 to 24.
UAAP said any determination of accountability will be based on the findings of government agencies, Ateneo’s independent fact-finding body, and the league, in accordance with the UAAP By-Laws and applicable rules and regulations.
The league said the preventive measures remain in effect, including barring the concerned members of the Ateneo coaching staff from all UAAP-related activities.