Wearing multiple hats — including serving as Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary and supporting the University of the Philippines men’s basketball team as a sponsor — Jonvic Remulla clarified on Friday his role in the investigation into the drowning deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
Remulla sought to dispel rumors that his affiliation with UP — Ateneo de Manila University’s longtime basketball rival — had influenced the investigation into the Blue Eagles’ team-building activity that claimed the lives of Baterbonia and Adili on June 8 in Dipaculao, Aurora.
The clarification came during a joint DILG and Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group press briefing, where authorities recommended the filing of charges against resigned Ateneo men’s basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 other team staff members for alleged violations of the Anti-Hazing Act.
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“Number one hindi po ako team manager. Ang team manager po is si Coach Bo Perasol. Ako po ay isa sa mga alumni na tumutulong sa UP men’s basketball team. Isa yan na bahagi ako ng organisasyon sa UP men’s pero as a sponsor,” said the DILG Secretary in response to a question from the media.
“Pagdating dito po, hindi ko po ginagawa ito dahil ako’y taga-UP. Ginagawa ko ito dahil ako’y kalihim ng Interior at Local Government. It is part of my duty to make sure that justice is done,” he continued.
“UP has nothing to do with this, and to be clear, I am also an alumnus of Ateneo de Manila; I graduated high school there. My son graduated in 2026. I am also an alumnus of De La Salle University for my grade school education, so kasama ako sa lahat diyan,” Remulla added.
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However, Perasol is not the UP men’s basketball team manager. He currently serves as head of the UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development.
According to the team’s official social media accounts, the team’s manager is Atty. Agaton Uvero.
Remulla also revealed that he disclosed his involvement with the UP men’s basketball program to everyone interviewed during the two-week DILG investigation before the proceedings began.
“Kasama po ako sa investigation at bago po ako umupo, sinasabi ko clearly for the record — at naka-record po ito sa transcripts at nakalagay po sa video — na for the record ipinakilala ko ang sarili ko, anong posisyon ko, at sinabi ko na ako’y involved sa UP men’s basketball team,” said Remulla.
“So, in full knowledge ang lahat ng mga na-interview and in full knowledge, tinanggap naman nila ang aking statement at nagsalita sila pagkatapos. Hindi ko itinago yung katotohanan na ‘yan, ngunit sinabi ko sa lahat. We did 60 interviews, 60 respondents, 320 hours of interviews, two weeks of continuous — and I think 68 lawyers were present continuously during the interviews of those participants.”
