Ateneo reaches out to families of student managers, utility staff named in CIDG recommendation

Ateneo de Manila University said it has reached out to the Blue Eagles’ student managers and utility staff after they were included in the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s (CIDG) list of recommended respondents in connection with the drowning incident that claimed the lives of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

Student managers Paolo Adevoso and Andrew Salud, along with utility staff Aris Prince and Joel Rapa, were among those named in the CIDG’s list released on Friday. They were recommended for the filing of complaints for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act, along with head coach Tab Baldwin and other members of the coaching staff.

In a statement issued on Friday, the university said it has extended support to those affected while the legal process is ongoing.

“Recognizing the unique circumstances and needs of those affected, the University has reached out to them and their families to offer appropriate support and accompaniment throughout the legal process, while respecting that each respondent's rights and interests must be represented independently,” it said.

The Department of Justice on Friday said it had received the CIDG’s referral. The university, for its part, said it “respect[s] the work it has undertaken in the course of its investigation.”

—JKC, GMA News