By MARK REY MONTEJO
Kieffer Alas and Sam Reyes stressed that there was no hazing or initiation rites took place at the controversial Ateneo training camp in Dipaculao, Aurora, where their teammates Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili died in a drowning incident last Monday, June 8.
Both Alas and Reyes dismissed nasty speculation that their training camp in Aurora was part of an initiation process for newcomers.
The two players clarified they felt they were not in harm; rather they knew that the program – developed by now resigned head coach Tab Baldwin – was designed to strengthen their team camaraderie as well as improving their agility, mental toughness, and other aspects they needed before the another season kicks off in September.
“The only thing I felt like as a team was us getting closer po,” said Alas during their first-hand revelation in “Let’s Talk” hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Pia Hontiveros at The Pod Network Tuesday, June 16.
“Not at all. It just hurts how people perceive it that way. I know my veterans wouldn’t even think of that,” he said. They wouldn’t do that to me,” Alas added.
They remembered very well that the only freshman duties bestowed to them were washing the dishes, carrying and moving their equipment and preparing the food on the table.
“‘Yun na [lang] po ‘yong pinakaginagawa sa mga bago,” said Reyes, who also stressed that they did not wear any ankle weights during the camp.
Alas and Reyes also said they were aware of the difficulty of the camp, including navigating their way back to shore when the rough waters of Aurora began to intensify, which Baldwin had explained to them prior to the trip, where players were not allowed to use their gadgets throughout the training.
“We had meetings before training where Coach Tab explained about rip currents and how to get out…[It was a pretty long discussion about it,” said Alas.
After the release of the podcast, Alas and Reyes made another appearance by presenting themselves to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) along with their other teammates to comply with the subpoenas filed against them.
Their former coach Baldwin is set to follow suit – according to his lawyer – on Friday, June 19.
