Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has expressed his profound condolences to the families of student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Clert Baterbonia following their untimely deaths.
Reflecting on the scale of the tragedy, Baldwin emphasized that the basketball team’s grief is secondary to the immense sorrow being endured by the victims’ families.
“There were two families that experienced a loss so much greater than ours, a loss that would stay with them for the remainder of their lives,” he noted.
In an administrative admission of accountability regarding player safety, Baldwin acknowledged that he fell short of his responsibilities as a mentor and leader.
“In this, I feel I’ve failed. And I’m sorry. To the depth of my being, I’m sorry,” he stated.
According to Baldwin, what was designed to be a routine team-building exercise quickly spiraled into a fatal emergency. Despite immediate rescue efforts from players and coaching staff, the situation ended in a heartbreaking outcome, leaving him to grapple with his dual role as their coach and friend.
In the aftermath of the incident, Baldwin shared that he has turned to his faith for solace and urged the public to offer continuous support to the Baterbonia and Adili families.
His public remarks follow a previous directive from Ateneo de Manila University, which had instructed the coach to refrain from making statements to ensure that official investigations could proceed without interference.
To preserve the transparency and integrity of the ongoing probe, both Baldwin and the team manager have taken a formal leave of absence from their positions.
Concluding his message, Baldwin called for solidarity and spiritual strength as the community navigates this period of mourning.
“As we try to move forward without Divine and Rene, I hope that in binding together as a community, as a basketball team, and as a nation, that we lean on the one place that will never let us down—and that is our Lord,” he said.