Investigation begins

Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have taken leaves of absences in light of the deaths of Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

In a statement, university president Fr. Roberto Yap announced on Thursday that both Baldwin and Quimpo were placed on leave to ensure their full cooperation with the proper authorities while the Board of Trustees conducts a thorough fact-finding inquiry.

The 18-year-old Baterbonia and 21-year-old Adili, a Nigerian, lost their lives last Monday during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.

“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 — head coach Thomas Anthony ‘Tab’ Baldwin and team manager Christopher ‘Epok’ Quimpo have gone on leave for the duration of the inquiry,” Yap said.

“The University is cooperating fully, transparently, and without reservation with all investigations being undertaken by national authorities and competent regulatory bodies. We ask our community for their continued prayers as we navigate this dark chapter.”

Baldwin was last seen in Ateneo’s Quezon City campus yesterday along with members of the team for a candlelight vigil ceremony.

“The University requested that Coach Baldwin refrain from making public statements to allow the official processes to proceed and the facts to be established before any public discussion of the matter,” Yap said.

“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.”

Aurora Provincial Police acting director Police Colonel Percival Pineda said the 68-year-old Kiwi-American mentor remained silent when asked about what happened on the day of the accident.

“Our investigator tried to talk to him, but we couldn’t because he was in a state of shock,” Pineda said.

A wake for Baterbonia is being held at Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City and will be followed by a separate wake starting Friday at Ateneo de Davao University.

Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is asking Baldwin to come forward as the deaths of the two young student-athletes have become a national issue.

“Where is Tab Baldwin? Why is he still not speaking up? This is beyond Ateneo. This is a national concern,” Gregorio said.

“Out of respect for the family and the Filipino people, he has to come forward. He has been here for 10 years. I don’t understand why he can’t understand our culture — konting respeto at pakikipagkapwa (tao) naman.”

Amid the public attention surrounding the tragedy, former Ateneo assistant coach Sandy Arespacochaga urged people not to harass the players who were present during the incident.

The Blue Eagles were seen at the wake last Wednesday without any member of the coaching staff.

“Let us not threaten the players. It doesn’t help with all that’s happening,” said Arespacochaga, who is also an assistant coach for TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Arespacochaga said he had a chance to talk with Baldwin but did not divulge the details of their conversation.

“I was able to talk with Coach Tab and the coaches when they arrived, but sometimes, aside from talking, the best thing, of course, is just being there,” Arespacochaga said.

“I’m helping out in whatever way I can. These are my fellow coaches, these are my players.”

Former Blue Eagle Isaac Go echoed Arespacochaga’s sentiments, expressing hope that the investigation would proceed thoroughly and uncover the truth.

“All I can say is that there’s a lot of noise, and I don’t want to add to that. I think what we can all wish for is that the investigation is truly in-depth and discovers what really happened,” said Go, who played for Baldwin from 2016 to 2019.