More than a week after the tragic team-building activity in Baler, Aurora, that claimed the lives of Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, several Blue Eagles who survived the incident have broken their silence to share their accounts.
On Tuesday, five active players recounted their versions of the fateful day across two separate forums. Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo spoke during an institutional town hall on the Katipunan campus, while Sam Reyes and Kieffer Alas appeared on The Pod Network’s Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros.
Among the details shared across both platforms, one account stood out: the actions of newcomer EJ Kapihe, who reportedly braved strong waves to help rescue Adili and several teammates struggling in the water.
“EJ, the Hawaiian one-and-done, was saving people,” Reyes recalled.
“Last time, Divine was with him po.”
Alas corroborated the account, describing Kapihe’s repeated attempts to bring teammates to safety.
“He was trying to save Divine po. Parang ‘di niya kinaya yung bigat ni Divine tapos parang, I’m not sure with EJ but…
“EJ was saving people, then when he’d get tired, he’d go back to shore, rest for a bit, then he swam back din po,” Reyes added.
According to the five Blue Eagles, the initial waves did not appear dangerous, but succeeding swells quickly scattered the group. As the situation turned critical, those who managed to reach shore immediately tried to return to assist their teammates still in the water.
Kapihe was among those who repeatedly went back into the water, using the swimming skills he developed growing up in Hawaii to help as many teammates as he could, even as the conditions took a heavy physical toll.
“EJ was actually… He was helping Divine as much as he could,” Bongo said during the town hall.
“But when I was trying to help others, he was trying to bring his body back in, but Divine was already unconscious. They were struggling to find things to help him with, like the floating [devices].”
The frantic rescue efforts soon turned into panic on the shore as surviving players and coaching staff realized the scale of the emergency. Drenched and shaken by the sudden swells, those who made it back began a desperate headcount along the shoreline.
It was during these chaotic moments that the severity of the incident became clear, as teammates realized that despite Kapihe’s repeated attempts to pull everyone from the strong undertow, some were no longer responding.
“I saw one of our new guys, EJ Kapihe. He was also crying, and he was telling me, ‘Divine’s gone, Divine’s gone.’ I thought EJ didn’t see Divine, but then in this scenario, he already saw Divine floating because Divine didn’t know how to swim at all,” Bahay recounted. “Our coach with the salbabida threw it to Jay-M [Leal]. There’s someone with the volleyball [who] threw it at the guys who don’t swim, so it helped them. When EJ told me Divine’s gone, I ran to Coach Tab (Baldwin).
“Mind you, Coach Tab just went to get Ian, since Ian didn’t know how to swim. So when he came back, he was struggling to breathe — he was like 68 years old. I told him, ‘Coach, Divine’s gone, Divine’s gone…’”
Whatever the future holds for the program, Kapihe’s actions during the tragedy have left a lasting mark on the Ateneo community. Whether he will eventually suit up as a Blue Eagle remains uncertain, as the university awaits the UAAP’s determination on its Season 89 participation while multiple government agencies conduct separate investigations.
For Kapihe, the weight of that day will remain with him.
“I stand with my Ateneo men’s basketball team,” said the 6-foot-6 forward from College of Wooster.
“Although I’ve only been here a short time, through this very traumatic and nauseating experience, I gained a family. We mourn our fallen brothers — Divine and Rene — and we’ll carry them for the rest of our lives.”
