‘I might not make it’: Ateneo players Kieffer Alas, Sam Reyes faced death in Aurora tragedy

MANILA, Philippines – An incident already so tragic could have ended much worse.

Ateneo basketball players Kieffer Alas and Sam Reyes believed they were going to die during the Blue Eagles’ team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, that claimed the lives of teammates Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili on June 8.

Alas, an incoming rookie, and Reyes, an incoming junior, shared their side of the story on the Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros podcast, recounting the harrowing experience that endangered almost all of the players. 

The players, the two said, were asked to line up in thigh-deep water for an exercise led by assistant coach Dean Castaño when a series of waves, which Reyes described as “bigger than us,” pulled them away from the shore.

Alas remembered being with Adili and Jay-M Leal as they clung to EJ Kapihe — who was bigger and knew how to swim — but he later found himself on his own.

“I really don’t know how to swim. My head wasn’t straight because I just didn’t know what to do. I was underwater, I guess, more than 20 seconds. At that point, I had already given up,” said Alas in a mix of Filipino and English. 

“I was going down and down. I was like going to accept that I might not make it. After more seconds went by, I felt my feet touch the sand. There was a glimpse of hope. I jumped and gasped for air. Everyone else was so far away from me.” 

Meanwhile, Reyes said he tried to help Malcolm Tyler in keeping Ian Espinosa afloat, but fell into “total panic” as he feared for his life, having swallowed a significant amount of water. 

“I was trying to swim back to shore, but no matter how hard I swam, I was still there in that moment. It felt like I wasn’t moving at all. I had to rest. I sank to the bottom of the sand and just jumped. I was breathing while trying to tread. They told us in the meeting (before the activity) that if we got tired, we should tread water. I was doing that. I took a deep breath and started swimming harder. But no matter what I did, I was still there,” said Reyes.

“Basically, when I tried for the third time, I started thinking that I wasn’t going to make it out of there.” 

Alas and Reyes said they floated to conserve their energy and gradually made their way toward the shore, finding each other along the way and helping one another out of the water despite both suffering from cramps.

While most of the team made it safely back to shore, the grim realization that Baterbonia and Adili were missing set in. 

Baterbonia was found unconscious and was then given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by team physical therapist Jerick Rueca. However, Reyes said a medical personnel told Rueca to stop so Baterbonia could be transferred to an ambulance and taken to the Aurora Memorial Hospital. 

Just as the ambulance carrying Baterbonia was leaving, Adili was being retrieved from the water by his teammates. The Nigerian big man was brought to the same hospital through a police vehicle.

Baterbonia and Adili were later pronounced dead. 

‘Felt safe’

Alas, the son of Blue Eagles assistant coach Louie, said he “felt safe” going into the team building as he put his trust in the coaching staff headed by Tab Baldwin, who resigned from his post.

Louie Alas did not join the team in Aurora due to other commitments. 

Alas and Reyes said the players were warned by the coaches about rip currents, a strong and narrow channel of water that flows away from the shore, and were given tips on how to escape them even before the trip. 

But knowledge alone was not enough to prepare them for the danger of the water in Aurora, especially since some of them were non-swimmers, including Adili and Espinosa. 

None of the players had a life vest on.

“When I was almost drowning, I was just alone. For me, it felt safety measures were lacking,” said Reyes. 

Alas agreed: “We felt okay. But during the accident itself, that’s when we started feeling that kind of way.”

As two people who lost their “brothers” and lived through a near-death experience, Alas and Reyes appealed to the public for compassion as they continue to receive death threats from those who believe that they were responsible for the loss of Baterbonia and Adili. 

“I hope you guys know that it was really hard for us to speak up. I hope you guys understand where we come from. We experienced the trauma as well. I just hope you guys understand,” said Alas. 

“To Divine and Rene, we miss you guys. I want to give my condolences to their families. You guys have been in our prayers also.” – Rappler.com