Tab Baldwin resigns after drowning deaths, university apologises

Tuesday, 16 June 2026

In an emotional video statement, Tab Baldwin says he 'failed as a leader' after two members of the champion Filipino university basketball team he coaches died.

Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines has accepted the resignation of former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin after two young players drowned on a preseason boot camp last week.

The university’s president, Father Roberto Yap thanked Baldwin for his “years of service” to the school’s Blue Eagles basketball team.

“We must look inward, examine our systems and rebuild the structures of our athletic programs so that our fields and playing courts will be places where dreams are nurtured, not broken,” he added.

Yap said the university was “truly, deeply sorry”.

“We apologise unreservedly to the families and to our entire community for the agonising pain of this tragedy,” Yap said in a press conference.

He also announced “material assistance” would be given to the families of Rene Baterbonia, 19, and Divine Adili, 21, in addition to full scholarships for Baterbonia six siblings.

“We see that not as a form of legal settlement, but a form of moral responsibility,” Yap said.

Baldwin no-show at police probe

Tab Baldwin did not turn up to speak in-person with authorities at two separate hearings on Monday.

The embattled former coach was summoned to appear before the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) to present his work permit but his lawyer appeared on his behalf.

In a separate hearing, Baldwin did not appear at Camp Crame for a fact-finding probe by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

He had been called to the police headquarters alongside other members of Ateneo University, but only the head of Ateneo’s athletics department complied with the subpoena.

The CIDG said another subpoena will be issued for Baldwin and the others and failure to appear “will warrant a contempt of court.”

“This investigation has now turned into a possible homicide investigation or hazing investigation… It depends on the ongoing interview we’re conducting with the players,” CIDG Director Major General Robert Morico II said in a press conference, The Inquirer reported.

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

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