Kieffer Alas on backlash vs Ateneo players after Baterbonia-Adili drowning tragedy: 'It's like going through two deaths'

Ateneo de Manila University players Kieffer Alas and Sam Reyes broke their silence a week after their teammates Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili lost their lives in a drowning incident last Monday, June 8.

Incoming rookie Alas and third-year transferee Reyes recounted the events leading up to the tragedy, which occurred during the Blue Eagles' team-building activity at a private resort in Dipaculao, Aurora, and shared that they have been receiving hate comments online.

READ MORE | Ateneo players recount events of Aurora drowning incident

Reyes, who's in his second year with Ateneo after transferring from the University of Santo Tomas, said he feels guilty about the whole incident because Baterbonia was beside him and he felt he could have done something to save his teammate.

"I feel guilt lang po kasi Rene was beside me and parang I felt na I could have done more pra 'di siya malunod. It was eating me alive," Reyes said in a podcast interview.

"There were times na I was just awake."

Reyes and Alas, on the Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros podcast on Tuesday, also shared their near-death experiences when rip currents were hitting the team. Both players said they almost thought they could not make it out alive.

"It's just hard na the comments they're saying na we're just jealous. We did it because we're jealous. It's just killing us. We were there and we lost two of our brothers," Reyes added.

"Sobrang sakit po kasi na nabuhay nga po kami pero parang pinapatay po kami."

Alas echoed the sentiment, saying it was difficult to put into words what they had been going through over the past week, especially while dealing with comments from people blaming the surviving players.

"It's like going through two deaths po. The first one is losing our two teammates then now being criticized for their deaths. We lost them, we witnessed it happen," Alas said.

"I don't know, every social media person or anybody, they're putting the blame on us. It's just hard to put into words but this has been what we're feeling the past week."

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News