Baldwin, 10 Ateneo officials face anti-hazing complaint recommendation

Ateneo de Manila University men's basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 other team officials will face a recommendation for charges under Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act, in connection with the drowning deaths of two players during a training activity in Aurora, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Quezon City, Remulla said the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has recommended the filing of charges following its investigation into the deaths of Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili in Dipaculao, Aurora, earlier this month.
"The PNP CIDG recommends the evaluation, case build-up and preliminary evaluation by the DOJ for violation of RA 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act against respondents who actually planned and participated in the hazing," Remulla said.
Aside from Baldwin, those named in the CIDG recommendation were strength and conditioning coaches Grant Dearms and Ceasar Vincent Javellana Elumba; assistant coaches Dean Caesar B. Castanaño, Sandro Nicholas Romero Soriano, and Reynaldo C. Jacinto Jr.; student managers Paolo Manuel Maceda Adevoso and Andrew Lorenzo Bondoc Salud; physical therapist John Eric Quiambo Rueca; and utilities Aris Ramos Prance and Joel Palmiano Rapa.
Remulla stressed that the CIDG recommendation is not the final determination of the charges.
"We have over 620 pages of testimony, all of which corroborate the fact that they were subjected to extreme weather and extreme conditions which resulted in death. It is only the recommendation of the CIDG as the complainant of this case, but the final arbiter of what they will be charged with will be the DOJ. This is just our recommendation," he said.
He added that while the victims were not physically assaulted, investigators believe they were brought to a dangerous environment where they were exposed to extreme weather and forced calisthenics.
"Hindi sila sinaktan ngunit dinala sila sa mapanganib na lugar kung saan nangyari lahat ng ito. In the elements of the Anti-Hazing Law, exposure to weather and forced calisthenics were among them, and because of the calisthenics and exposure to weather, it resulted in the drowning of two individuals," Remulla said.
