Cagers’ deaths: Ateneo head says sorry, accepts Baldwin’s resignation

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo de Manila University president Roberto Yap, SJ apologized on Monday to the families of collegiate basketball athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, saying that the Ateneo leadership acknowledges the families’ “unbearable” pain over the deaths of the two students.

Baterbonia and Adili drowned during a school-sanctioned training activity at a beach resort in Dipaculao, Aurora province, on June 8.

“To the families of Rene and Divine, we see you, we hear you, we acknowledge the unbearable pain of your mourning, we know that the grief you carry right now is compounded by an anger that is entirely natural, justified,” Yap said in a press conference on Monday afternoon, exactly a week after the tragedy.

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“On behalf of Ateneo de Manila University, I am here to say simply and directly, we are truly, deeply sorry, we apologize to the families and the entire community for the agonizing pain of this tragedy,” he added.

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READ: PNP to ‘carefully consider’ all accounts in Ateneo drowning case

According to Yap, “Two young men entrusted to our care did not return home, and that fact breaks our hearts. No explanation, context, or words can undo that loss. We face this moment with absolute humility and we ask your prayers and your forgiveness.”

Ateneo “must look inward, examine our systems, and review the structures of our athletic programs so that our fields and playing courts remain places where dreams are nurtured, not broken,” said Yap.

Baldwin out

Baterbonia, 19, had played for the Davao Region men’s basketball team in the Palarong Pambansa as recently as two weeks ago before committing to Ateneo’s Blue Eagles program, while 21-year-old Nigerian foreign student Adili played for Ateneo in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 (2025-2026) men’s basketball tournament.

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Yap also said Ateneo had accepted the resignation of men’s basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin, who had gone on leave days after the incident.

READ: Ateneo drowning probe: CIDG to reach out to Baldwin’s estranged wife

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“We will not shield [or] protect anyone, nor will we [allow] integrity to be compromised. With this, I must also inform everyone that the university has accepted the resignation of head coach Thomas Anthony ‘Tab’ Baldwin effective immediately,” Yap said.

“We thank him for the years of service to the Blue Eagles. But as we enter a period of deep institutional review, a change is necessary to ensure the full integrity of our sports programs,” he added.

Baldwin earlier apologized for the incident in an eight-minute video posted on the university’s social media four days after the incident.

Possible homicide, hazing

Baldwin, of American-Kiwi descent, had been the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ head coach since 2015, after coaching for the Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team.

The investigation into the drowning is now focused on “possible homicide or hazing” cases, the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said.

“It depends on the ongoing interview we’re conducting with the players,” CIDG Director Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II said in a briefing at Camp Crame on Monday.

“The Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 applies not only to fraternities, academies, or organizations like those in police training. It also applies to any organization as a requirement for continuing membership,” Morico said.

“Among the possible things to consider here are the forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity,” he added.

The National Bureau of Investigation has also issued a subpoena against Baldwin and several athletes and university officials, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said on Monday, “to shed light on what really happened and to determine who should be held accountable.”

Subpoena no-shows

The Department of Labor and Employment previously summoned Baldwin to appear both for the incident and to verify the validity of his employment permit. But only Baldwin’s lawyer showed up.

The CIDG is already in touch with at least three former Blue Eagles players, according to Morico. It had earlier subpoenaed all the team’s coaching staff, but on Monday, only Ateneo athletics director Em Fernandez appeared, while four others, including Baldwin, sent a legal representative.

Morico pointed out that the lawyers had no personal knowledge of the incident, thus Baldwin and the three others would be subpoenaed again.

The CIDG has also asked the Department of Justice to issue additional immigration lookout bulletin orders against the Ateneo coaches, said Morico.

The deaths have prompted scrutiny from other government agencies and sports stakeholders. The UAAP, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Youth Commission have formed a joint body to investigate the incident and review safety standards governing student-athlete activities.

Ateneo grads: ‘Do better’

Meanwhile, the graduating class of Ateneo de Manila University called on their school to “do better” in its investigation into the fatal drowning of Baterbonia and Adili.

“There is no joyful way to graduate in the shadow of this incident, and we will not pretend otherwise, not until every question is answered, until every family is comforted, and until truth and justice are served,” the Ateneo Seniors’ Alliance said in a statement on Sunday night.

“Where our alma mater has fallen short of its own values or principles in handling this matter, we ask it, humbly and firmly, as its students, to do better,” it stressed.

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The Ateneo Seniors’ Alliance represents the graduating class of the university for School Year 2025–2026. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER SPORTS