Charges over deaths of Baterbonia, Adili to be filed Friday — Jonvic Remulla

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Wednesday that charges are set to be filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, as authorities are nearing the completion of their investigation into the deaths of Ateneo basketball players Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili earlier this month.

In an ambush interview, Remulla said investigators are now in the final stage of their probe, with only a few former players and members of the Ateneo management left to be questioned.

“Halos tapos na ang imbestigasyon namin. Medyo conclusive na. Sa Biyernes, isusumite namin sa DOJ for filing ang kaso,” Remulla said.

(Our investigation is almost finished. It is already somewhat conclusive. On Friday, we will submit the case to the DOJ for filing.)

Baterbonia and Adili died during a team-building activity in Aurora on June 8, prompting a full-scale police investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

According to Remulla, among those summoned were Ateneo officials, including Roberto Yap, who appeared before the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Wednesday, and Manuel V. Pangilinan, who is expected to appear on Thursday.

Pangilinan is widely recognized as the primary athletic benefactor for the Ateneo Blue Eagles basketball program, having bankrolled its recruitment, coaching staff, and operations for decades through the MVP Sports Foundation.

Remulla also said Fr. Nemesio “Nemi” Que, Ateneo’s vice president for social development, who oversees student and athletics formation programs, had already been questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.

The DILG chief said the probe, which has been underway for the past two weeks, has involved nearly 100 witnesses and generated around 1,200 pages of testimonies.

“This investigation has been going on for the last two weeks. We've interviewed almost 100 people. We have, siguro, 1,200 pahina ng testimonya nanggaling sa mga tao doon,” he said.

(This investigation has been going on for the last two weeks. We've interviewed almost 100 people. We have around 1,200 pages of testimonies from the people there.)

Remulla said the PNP-CIDG is “very confident” in the strength of its case buildup.—MCG, GMA News