The Educators' Forum for Development (EFD)-Mindanao has expressed its deepest condolences to the families and communities affected by the tragedy involving Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) basketball varsity players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. The organization, a Mindanawon group of educators, highlighted the lack of transparency from ADMU, stating that the school's curated actions—marked by prolonged silence and rare written statements—underscore the public's demand for accountability at every level, especially the highest.
Deaths Reveal Deeper Structural Issues
EFD-Mindanao noted that beyond the sorrow, the deaths represent the shattering of a young dream—the hope that excellence in basketball could lift a family out of hardship. The deaths occurred during a supposed strength-training session, which the group described as not isolated incidents but stark indications of the urgent need for transformative education, particularly in the country's sports development program.
The organization pointed out that the national sports development program is commercialized, not nationalist, and not mass-oriented. It concentrates resources on a few promising talents rather than democratizing training opportunities. In a mass-oriented sports agenda, sports would become a tool for promoting health, constructive competition, nation-building, and collective national pride.
Commercialization and Militarization of Sports
EFD-Mindanao emphasized that school sports programs are integrated into a larger “sports industry” where big business is motivated by profits from advertising, merchandising, and large events. The welfare of students takes a backseat as long as young talents continue to be produced and sports entertainment yields profits. The big university sports programs are multi-million-peso engagements backed by established business brands.
According to the group, this commercial pressure fuels cut-throat competition among big universities, impacting their training programs. Rene Baterbonia’s mother decried that her son was not training as a soldier but as a basketball player, and Ateneo’s off-campus training has been described as a “boot camp”—a methodology borrowed from military instruction rather than pedagogy centered on student development. EFD-Mindanao noted that this culture is pervasive in campuses with the fascistic program of the ROTC and the tacit promotion of hazing.
Call for Accountability and Transformative Role
EFD-Mindanao reminded ADMU that it needs to step up to expectations of transparency and accountability. The university is called to genuinely adhere to Jesuit and Ignatian values of producing “men and women for others.” Its national prominence demands leadership by example based on these values. If these values remain unfulfilled, the public will detest what it perceives as hypocrisy, elitism, lip-service, and a serious disconnect from the people’s sentiments.
At the same time, EFD-Mindanao recognized ADMU’s significant historical role in advancing transformative education since the time of Martial Law. The group urged the university to uphold that place in history rather than present a tone-deaf response to a crisis considered by many Filipinos as symptomatic of a larger social system. ADMU should position itself as a transformative force rather than be seen as part of a system that perpetuates social disparities.
Broader Systemic Issues and Government Responsibility
EFD-Mindanao called for looking at the broader view, stating that this tragedy must not be exploited for partisan political purposes. Political camps fanning regional sectarianism (e.g., Mindanao versus Manila) have sinister electoral motives and seek to divide instead of uniting against real systemic problems. The group also noted that these camps hide the fact that they are associated with interest groups facing cases of extrajudicial killings, corruption, human trafficking, and child abuse, as well as neglect of the country’s educational system during their term.
Ultimately, EFD-Mindanao asserted that the Philippine government should take account of the root causes that led to the tragic deaths. The greater tragedy lies in sports being treated as capital investment rather than social investment. Tragedies visit classrooms, teachers, students, and sports, rooted in government neglect, misprioritization, and misdirection. Only through honest confrontation of these deeper issues can lasting change truly emerge.
