The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) highlighted the Coach Developer Academy as a way of strengthening athletes’ welfare and safe sport practices following the tragic deaths of Ateneo de Manila University players Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili last June.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PSC, together with the Sports Stakeholders’ Panel, said they are making sure to uphold the highest standards in coaching through continuing education, mandatory certifications, basic life support training, clearer operational guidelines and stronger safeguarding measures.

The initiative also aims to ensure the safety of athletes and prevent incidents similar to what happened to Baterbonia and Adili from happening again.

Included in the panel are the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the National Youth Commission.

“The PSC has already begun this work through the Coach Developer Academy, which prepares coach developers who will train and certify coaches under the forthcoming National Sports Coaching Certification Program. This initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Department of Education, while CHEd develops new Memorandum Orders on athlete welfare and safe sport,” the panel said.

“National Sports Associations (NSAs) are likewise encouraged to strengthen their safeguarding frameworks and designate safeguarding officers so that concerns that emerge in sporting environments can be safely raised, addressed, and resolved. These initiatives lay the groundwork for renewed consideration of the proposed Sports Coaching Act (H.B. 2631).”

The Sports Stakeholders’ Panel has also thrown its support behind the ongoing investigation into the Aurora tragedy.

Following updates from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police, the panel expressed confidence in the investigation and appreciated its continued efforts to establish the facts surrounding the tragedy while observing due process.

The CIDG recommended filing charges against former Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 other members of the coaching staff for alleged violations of the Anti-Hazing Act in connection with the deaths of the two cagers.

“The Sports Stakeholders’ Panel expresses its support for the process being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and is grateful for its diligent and sustained pursuit of the truth in the Aurora tragedy that claimed the lives of two student-athletes, Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili,” the panel said.

Both Baterbonia and Adili have been laid to rest in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, and Lagos, Nigeria, respectively, while members of the Blue Eagles have been receiving psychiatric assistance following the ill-fated team-building activity.

The UAAP has yet to issue a verdict on whether Ateneo will be barred from competing in Season 89, which is scheduled to begin around September.