The Ateneo de Manila University welcomed the decision of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Board to allow its men’s basketball team to compete in Season 89.

In a statement released Friday, August 7, the university expressed its gratitude to the UAAP Board, stating that it is more than a return to competition for the men’s basketball team.

“It is an important step forward in their continuing journey of healing as a team and as young men who continue to grieve the loss of their brothers, Divine Adili and Rene Clert "Bobet" Baterbonia,” the university said.

“Divine and Rene will remain with them every time they put on the Ateneo jersey and take it to the court. The Blue Eagles have always been more than a basketball team. They are brothers, bound by their shared love of the game and by the trust, sacrifice, and care they have for one another,” it added.

The university also acknowledged the decisions of the UAAP Board and respects the sanctions imposed on some of the staff. Moreover, the university assured that it will remain steadfast in strengthening the policies, systems, and safeguards to better protect the safety and well-being of its student-athletes.

“As the Blue Eagles begin a new season, they carry with them not only the hopes of the Ateneo community, but also the enduring bond of a brotherhood strengthened by love, tested by loss and sustained by the memory of those who will always be part of them,” the university stated.

The statement comes following the UAAP Board’s decision, deeming the men’s basketball team eligible to play in Season 89. Moreover, the Board also announced that it has perpetually banned former head coach Tab Baldwin from all competitions and related activities.

Baterbonia and Adili were the two student-athletes who drowned during the Ateneo men’s basketball team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora in June this year.