Let’s sit down and talk about the cloud hanging over Loyola Heights. It is thick, it is dark, and it isn't going away anytime soon.
We are talking about the deaths of two young men, Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili, during a team-building trip in Aurora that went catastrophically wrong. The sports world is reeling, and veteran analyst Quinito Henson recently stepped into the fray with a heavy, uncompromising call: He is urging Ateneo to voluntarily withdraw from all UAAP competitions for the upcoming season.
Henson’s argument is straightforward: It is time to stop the "blame game," "man up," and take a decisive step out of respect for the two athletes. He argues that by stepping away, the university could regain a "vestige of its integrity".
But we need to dissect this, meticulously, because this has moved far beyond a sports column. This is a public issue. And when an issue becomes public, the standard of measurement changes. The question isn't about championships or recruitment; it’s about what the public wants.
And what the public wants, more than anything else, is justice.
The Public's Demand for Accountability
The university is currently facing a whirlwind of scrutiny from alumni, former athletes, and the general public regarding their handling of the tragedy. With multiple investigations ongoing and athletic officials under review, the tension is palpable.
So, let's ask the hard question: Does withdrawing from the UAAP actually get us closer to justice?
The Argument for Withdrawal: Supporters of Henson’s call argue that participating in sports while two families are grieving is an act of tone-deafness. It suggests that the "show must go on," a mentality that many feel contributed to the culture of negligence in the first place. Withdrawal, in this view, is a public act of contrition—a way for the institution to force itself to stop and reckon with its failures.
The Argument for Participation: On the other side, some might argue that withdrawing is merely symbolic. Does it bring the boys back? Does it uncover the truth behind what the CIDG has described as a situation that was "not an accident"? Many would argue that true justice isn't found in a quiet gymnasium; it is found in the findings of the investigations, the legal accountability of those responsible, and the systemic changes that ensure no other student-athlete ever faces such a danger again.
If the goal is justice, we have to define what that actually looks like in this context.
If Ateneo withdraws, they are signaling a form of institutional penance. But symbolic gestures can sometimes be used to sweep deeper systemic problems under the rug. If they withdraw, the public might feel a temporary sense of satisfaction, but the structural issues that led to the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili—the protocols, the culture of authority, the lack of safety—remain.
However, if Ateneo participates, they are essentially asking the public to move on while the wounds are still raw. That feels wrong, too.
Perhaps the "middle ground" is the only one that honors the families: A full, transparent, and brutal accounting of the facts. We know the CIDG has drone footage and testimonies that suggest the conditions were far too dangerous to be sending anyone into that water. We know there are allegations of a disciplinary culture that may have turned a training camp into a scene of gross negligence.
Justice isn't about whether or not a basketball team wears a jersey in September. Justice is about the truth.
If Ateneo withdraws, they must do it not to "regain a vestige of integrity", but as a genuine pause to conduct the most exhaustive internal and external audit in the history of collegiate sports. If they participate, they must do so under a cloud of accountability where every single person involved in that decision-making process is held to the highest standard of the law.
The public doesn't need the UAAP season to be canceled to feel the weight of this tragedy. What the public needs is to know that someone—someone with real power—is being held responsible for the fact that two families are currently burying their sons. That is where justice lives. Everything else is just noise.
Related Article: UAAP Controversy BREAKING NEWS: The death of Baterbonia and Adili was NOT an ACCIDENT - CIDG!
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