The Department of Justice (DoJ) is evaluating consolidated criminal referrals against former Ateneo men’s basketball coach Tab Baldwin and several others, noting that respondents will be given full opportunity to answer if a formal preliminary investigation is launched.

Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato, head of the DoJ’s Law Enforcement Cluster, and spokesperson Polo Martinez confirmed the department received a supplemental referral from the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on 1 July.

The new police submission recommends additional charges of homicide or reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, depending on what the evidence warrants. The latest documents have been integrated into the CIDG’s original 26 June referral, which sought criminal charges for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 11053, or the Anti-Hazing Act.

Complaints stem from the 8 June drowning deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora province.

Justice officials stressed that both referrals are undergoing a comprehensive initial review to determine whether the police evidence is sufficient to justify a formal inquiry.

“Both the original and the supplemental referrals are presently undergoing evaluation by the department,” Dato said. “Until that evaluation is completed, it would be inappropriate for us to disclose the identities of the other respondents or discuss the evidence in greater detail.”

Dato explained that if the DoJ finds sufficient grounds to proceed, the case will transition into the standard preliminary investigation process.

At that stage, Baldwin and his co-respondents will be legally summoned to address the allegations by filing their respective counter-affidavits.

“The complainant will again be given the opportunity to respond to the answer or the counter-affidavit given by the respondents,” Dato said. “So it will undergo the regular preliminary investigation process.”

The DoJ has not yet announced a timeline for completing its evaluation of the consolidated cases.