MANILA, Philippines – June 19 marked the start of the commencement exercises for Ateneo de Manila University’s (AdMU) graduating seniors. It coincides with the 165th birth anniversary of Ateneo’s most distinguished alumnus, Jose Rizal. 

The day for celebrations, however, quickly turned into a day of remembrance and protest for AdMU student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Chukwuemeka Divine Adili, who died from drowning during a team-building activity on June 8. 

During the university-wide commencement rites on Friday morning, graduating students, their guardians, and friends wore black bands on their right wrists to commemorate Baterbonia and Adili. The Ateneo Seniors’ Alliance (ASA) had earlier called on graduating seniors and super seniors to do so “as we stand with the families of Rene and Divine and carry their calls for justice, accountability, and the truth onto the stage.”

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, undergraduate students staged a walkout led by the university student government Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila. 

Those who walked out gathered at Kostka Hall at 1 pm, chanting “Hustisya para kay Rene at Divine (Justice for Rene and Divine)!” Some of them carried signs and banners that read, “Ateneo, do better!”

As they made the rounds along classrooms and walkways, the crowd, clad in black, urged other students as well as graduating seniors — still in their togas — to walk out with them and join a program at the Zen Garden. There, in the middle of a pavilion, stood a table with candles, boards that held handwritten prayers for Baterbonia and Adili, a memorial tarpaulin, and several photos and illustrations of the two.

“Today is a day of reckoning for the Ateneo de Manila,” former Sanggunian president Annika Torres said in her opening speech, calling for “a renewal of our institution.” She demanded accountability from the school as she called out the neglect and silence that followed Baterbonia and Adili’s deaths. 

School of Humanities representative Lorelie Potencio read out a message from one of Adili’s friends and blockmates, Diego Avila. He spoke of Adili’s compassion, warmth, and commitment, even to school projects. He also shared that Adili would often give compliments and high fives to friends to cheer them on, and that he loved the show, SpongeBob SquarePants, as he related to its titular character. The memorial behind Potencio included an illustration of Adili with SpongeBob and Patrick from the show.

“Dee was more than just a classmate. He was like a brother — more specifically, a kuya (brother) figure to us,” Avila shared. 

While no personal anecdotes were shared about Baterbonia — an incoming freshman — since he had yet to be welcomed by the students, they still remembered him on Friday as one of their own. 

A call for Ateneo to return to its roots

Ron Cruz, a faculty member from the Department of Biology, also gave a speech during the program, saying, “This is no longer the Ateneo I learned to love, in many ways.” On behalf of the faculty, he expressed their solidarity with the student body, their anger, and their call for genuine healing moving forward.

“You may think it’s weird that we’re doing this on the same day as graduation, but actually, just as we celebrate the achievements of our graduating students, that makes us remember the things that we love about this school, the things that we value,” Cruz said.

ASA co-chair Zen Borja also spoke on behalf of the graduating batch, standing with the seniors who joined the walkout.

“Narito kami ngayon hindi para sirain ang pagtatapos, hindi para burahin ang saya ng aming mga pamilya, hindi para malimutan ang apat na taon na minahal namin ang Ateneo (We are here not to ruin graduation, not to erase our families’ joy, not to forget the four years we spent loving Ateneo),” Borja said.

He said loving the school means holding it accountable, asking it to face the truth, and acting on its need to change. 

He also called for:

• a free and meaningful investigation
• presence and full accountability instead of press releases
• continuous and unconditional support for the loved ones Baterbonia and Adili left behind; and
• widespread reforms for students and student-athletes.

Sanggunian president Jedryc Romero also addressed the students on Friday: “I think there’s really this desire for our community to see names, to see faces, and, I guess, [that’s also why my call during the] town hall for the resignation of one of our officials really resonated. Because we’re really looking for people, individuals, to really be accountable.”

During a town hall meeting on Tuesday, June 16, Romero called for the resignation of University Marketing and Communications Office head Matec Villanueva. 

A strong downpour fell in time for the candlelighting part of the program, where student representatives led the community in prayer.

“Kasama nating magluksa ang langit (The heavens are mourning with us),” Torres said.

Graduating students were encouraged to continue wearing black bands as AdMU’s commencement exercises run until Sunday, June 21. – Isabel Victorino/Rappler.com

Isabel Victorino is a Rappler intern. She is a third-year AB Communication student at Ateneo de Manila University, and writes for the student publication The GUIDON.