MANILA, Philippines – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will investigate the drowning of Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

The NBI said on Thursday, June 11, that it fielded a task force to look into the circumstances surrounding the incident and see who could be held liable.

The Aurora Police Provincial Office (PPO) initially reported no signs of foul play.

In a statement, the NBI stressed that an absence of foul play does not resolve whether there is criminal liability due to a lack of oversight or safety precautions.

“An event may be ‘accidental’ in the sense that no one wished it, and yet remain the product of a failure to exercise the care the law demands,” the NBI wrote.

The Aurora police initially found that Baterbonia, 19, and Adili, 21, drowned during a team-building activity on Monday, June 8, in the town of Dipaculao.

The two players and their teammates were walking in thigh-deep water before they were swept away by strong currents.

Since the team building was a school-sanctioned activity, the NBI said it will focus on whether the hazards and sea conditions were properly assessed, whether proper safeguards and supervision were present, and whether there was breach of duty.

“A prestigious institution is neither shielded by its stature nor singled out because of it. Those who would cast this tragedy as a struggle between the privileged and the powerless mistake both the law and the purpose of this inquiry,” the NBI stated.

Aside from the NBI, the Philippine Sports Commission also announced it will form a multi-stakeholder panel to support the investigation into Baterbonia and Adili’s deaths.

Meanwhile, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines said it would wait for official reports before sanctioning those who may be found to be responsible for the players’ deaths. This comes amid calls to suspend Ateneo’s coach Tab Baldwin.

– Rappler.com