Being UP backer 'has nothing to do' with role in Ateneo probe — Jonvic
MANILA, Philippines — There is no ax to grind on rival school Ateneo for Interior secretary Jonvic Remulla, who’s also one of the staunch supporters of his collegiate alma mater University of the Philippines in the UAAP.
“UP has nothing to do with this,” Remulla said during the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) press briefing Friday in response to questions on his active participation in the Ateneo probe.
“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."
UP and Ateneo are known for their UAAP rivalry dubbed as the “Battle of Katipunan”, with Remulla being questioned by some critics for fairness and impartiality conflict due to his ties with the Fighting Maroons.
Remulla on Friday announced the recommendation by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on the filing of the hazing raps against 11 Ateneo men’s basketball team staff led by head coach Tab Baldwin before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The 68-year-old Baldwin, who led Ateneo to four UAAP titles, including two against UP, already stepped down from his post amid the ongoing investigations on the tragic drowning of Blue Eagles Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili last June 8 in Dipaculao, Aurora.
The former Cavite governor also emphasized that he’s not in any official capacity with the Fighting Maroons in the UAAP as he only supports the school as one of the sponsors alongside a bevy of UP alumni.
“Number one hindi po ako team manager. Ang team manager po is 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,” he added.
“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.
Remulla also noted that his ties with UP are well documented and provided to the full knowledge of the 60 respondents during the course of the DILG’s investigation.
“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,” he added, referring to the 320-hour interviews from 60 participants with the presence of 68 lawyers for two weeks.
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