Agusan del Sur Representatives Alfel Bascug and Eddiebong Plaza filed House Resolution No. 1108 on June 9, demanding a legislative inquiry into the tragic drowning of Ateneo de Manila University basketball players Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili. 

The two student-athletes lost their lives during an off-campus team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora. 

The lawmakers filed the resolution immediately following the incident, seeking to uncover potential institutional lapses in safety, supervision, and risk assessment during sports-related activities.

The resolution seeks to review and tighten national policies governing student-athlete safety, emergency preparedness, and parental informed consent across educational institutions. 

Bascug and Plaza emphasized that athletic programs bear a heightened responsibility for players recruited from far-flung provinces and foreign countries, who are separated from the direct care of their families. 

The probe aims to determine if the team-building organizers exercised the required degree of diligence and whether adequate medical support and rescue capabilities were active on-site.

Baterbonia, a rising basketball star from Agusan del Sur, was highly regarded as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. 

His teammate, Adili, was a promising foreign student-athlete from Nigeria who similarly represented the future of the university's sports program. 

The sudden loss of both athletes has sent shockwaves through the local sports community and raised urgent concerns about the vulnerability of student-athletes during mandatory or program-sanctioned off-campus training events.

The House Committee tasked with the investigation plans to summon representatives from relevant educational institutions, sports associations, and safety experts to establish the facts surrounding the tragedy. 

Through this inquiry, the House of Representatives intends to identify policy gaps and craft legislation to protect student-athletes from preventable hazards. 

The lawmakers expressed their profound condolences to the grieving families while reaffirming the government's commitment to prioritizing the welfare and rights of athletes nationwide.

‍