President calls for inquiry as Tab Baldwin makes first public appearance since drowning deaths

Friday, 12 June 2026

Former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin has made his first public appearance since two Ateneo Blue Eagles players drowned.

Baldwin attended a candlelight vigil for Divine Adili, 21, and Rene Baterbonia, 19.

Philippine authorities have ordered Baldwin to appear before the Labour Secretary and produce his work credentials.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for an in-depth investigation into the tragedy.

Ateneo de Manila University says Baldwin has been barred from speaking publicly while the inquiry is under way.

Former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin has made his first public appearance since the deaths of two members of the champion Filipino university basketball team he coaches.

As the Philippine President calls for an investigation, with officials demanding to see his work permit, the embattled coach attended a candlelight vigil for Divine Adili, 21, and Rene Baterbonia, 19, the two Ateneo Blue Eagles who drowned during a team building exercise on Monday.

Baldwin attended the vigil alongside Blue Eagles players, which was held at Ateneo de Manila University. The university has since confirmed it has barred Baldwin from speaking.

Photos released by the student newspaper showed Baldwin at the vigil, while students gathered to demand accountability from the university.

The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Thursday they will issue a subpoena requiring Baldwin to appear personally before Labor Secretary Francis N. Tolentino next Monday and present his credentials.

“No foreign national working in this country is above the law regardless of their status, reputation, or the institution they represent,” Tolentino said, directing the Kiwi-American coach to present a valid Alien Employment Permit (AEP) and provide a written explanation of the team-building exercise, including which safety protocols were in place.

“The family of Rene and Divine deserves answers, and they deserve accountability,” he said.

Presidential Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President wants authorities to conduct an in-depth investigation.

“First and foremost, of course, we are mourning this incident,” Castro said.

“What the President also wants is not just in situations like this but for all Filipinos who find themselves in this kind of situation. There must be an immediate investigation,” she added.

‘Where is Tab?’

Baldwin’s appearance at the vigil comes after the Philippines Sports Commission chair said the coach’s silence since the young athlete’s deaths was “a national concern”.

“Where is Tab Baldwin?” Patrick Gregorio asked, according to a report by local media outlet ABS-CBN.

“Why is he still not speaking up? This is beyond Ateneo. This is a national concern.”

When Stuff approached Baldwin, he said he was unable to comment, but a statement from Ateneo de Manila on Thursday explained the university had barred him from speaking.

The ex-Tall Blacks coach has been placed on leave alongside manager Christopher ‘Epok’ Quimpo “to preserve the total integrity, independence, and fairness of this investigation and to ensure all participants can cooperate freely without any actual or perceived pressure,” the university stated.

“The university wishes to clarify that Coach Tab Baldwin's silence following the tragedy was not a personal decision made independently of the university,” University President Fr Roberto C. Yap said.

“His silence should therefore not be misconstrued as indifference or a lack of concern. Rather, it reflects the university's decision to place care, healing, and due process ahead of public discussion,” he added.

“In the immediate aftermath of this heartbreaking loss, our guidance to Coach Baldwin was to focus his attention on the emotional and psychological welfare of the players, coaches, and staff affected by the incident, while also attending to his own well-being as someone who is grieving alongside the rest of the community.”

Knee-deep in the sea

Yap earlier revealed more details on the double-drowning.

“The team was engaged in a conditioning exercise in knee-deep water near the shoreline when they were suddenly engulfed by massive waves and a powerful rip current.

“While most of the players managed to fight their way back to safety, Rene and Divine were pulled away.”

He said the university would seek “the absolute truth” with its inquiry.

“This inquiry will exhaustively examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, reconstruct a transparent timeline, review all athletic protocols, and interview every individual present.

“No words can heal the void left by this tragedy, and our immediate, absolute priority remains enveloping their grieving families with the material, emotional, and pastoral support they need during this time of unimaginable pain.”

Yap also rejected rumours regarding the drowning.

“We state categorically, to protect the dignity of our fallen players, that no weights of any kind were used during this exercise.”

Baldwin’s tough military-style bootcamps, which include beach conditioning, have come under scrutiny since the two teens died.

As questions swirl around Baldwin’s training methods, a 2017 interview with Philippine sports website Spin.ph has resurfaced, offering an insight into the gruelling pre-season camps he ran with the Blue Eagles.

In the interview, one player described a week-long conditioning camp as “the worst week of our lives”, while Baldwin and team members also credited the programme with helping build the culture that later delivered championships.

Baldwin told the outlet that the training was inspired by American football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant’s “hell” camp training.

“His very famous work is a camp that he had in 1954 for his Texas A&M football team. And the design of the camp was to develop a football team with the emphasis on ‘team’,” Baldwin said.

He said that Bryant’s camps were designed to break the egos of young athletes.

“The best way to do that is break the men and reduce him to a state where he can’t do things on his own and he requires the assistance of others in order to accomplish something,” Baldwin said in 2017.

“We designed physical and mental tasks at the camp which are essentially designed to do that — break the men.”