Remulla: Ateneo Student Managers May Avoid Drowning Charges
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced that student managers and utility personnel might be excluded from the criminal charges linked to the drowning deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. Remulla stated that the Department of Justice (DOJ) could instead use them as witnesses, focusing the prosecution on the coaches who allegedly planned the grueling activity.
Who might be dropped from the Ateneo hazing charges?
The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) originally recommended charging 11 individuals under Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018. The list included utility personnel Aris Pronce and Joel Rapa, and student managers Paolo Manuel Adevoso and Andrew Lorenzo Salud. However, Remulla signaled a shift, noting that those unaware of the activity's wrongful intent should not face the same scrutiny as the organizers.