AURORA Police Provincial Office set the record straight and clarified that Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili were not wearing ankle weights when they figured in a drowning incident in Dipaculao on Monday.
"Wala po. Base sa statement ng ating mga nakusap, wala pong ganoong sinasabi na weights," said acting provincial director PCol. Percival R. Pineda in One PH's Storycon on Tuesday.
This should put speculations to rest especially after previous players' accounts of Ateneo's "military-like bootcamp" surfaced in social media.
READ: Baterbonia's remains to undergo autopsy as NBI, CIDG take over
What's definite is that the players were conducting an activity as part of their week-long team building, only arriving at the resort in the same day.
"Kasama sa sinasabi nilang training yung paglalakad hanggang bewang sa tabing dagat. Biglang napunta sila sa medyo malalim na portion ng nilalakaran nila at doon nangyari yung aksidente," said the official.
Pineda, however, disclosed that aside from Baterbonia and Adili, two more players found themselves in danger of drowning but were rescued in time by the lifeguard.
"Actually apat ang allegedly na nalunod pero yung dalawa ay nakabalik at yung dalawa ay nawala. Yung lifeguard, meron siyang surfboard na pang-rescue niya at dun niya nakuha yung dalawa," he said.
The names of the players were withheld.
Still, Pineda stood by the Aurora Police's initial statement that the tragedy was "purely accidental."
The investigation, though, remains open as they continue to gather witness statements and definitively determine if there is indeed negligence in the incident.
"Hindi pa natin sinasara ang imbestigasyon at kumakalap pa tayo ng mas maraming witnesses para mas tumibay ang ating imbestigasyon," said Pineda.
"Hindi pa namin ma-ascertain kung may liability (ang Ateneo) pero based sa mga initial statements, aksidente yung nangyari."
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