The Department of Justice (DOJ) is evaluating the criminal referrals filed by the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) in connection with the deaths of two Ateneo student-athletes and may proceed with a preliminary investigation if warranted.

Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato, who heads the DOJ’s Law Enforcement Cluster, said the department received a supplemental referral from the CIDG on July 1 recommending the filing of additional charges.

The supplemental referral seeks the filing of charges for homicide and/or reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, depending on the evidence and applicable law.

Dato said the latest referral would be consolidated with the CIDG’s original referral dated June 26.

He explained that the supplemental referral would be treated as part of the CIDG’s original referral submitted on June 26, 2026.

Both the original and supplemental referrals are still undergoing evaluation by the DOJ.

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

He noted that the DOJ must first determine whether the evidence submitted is sufficient to warrant a formal preliminary investigation.

If the department finds sufficient grounds to proceed, the respondents will be required to answer the allegations through their counter-affidavits.

Dato said that once a preliminary investigation is deemed warranted, the respondents will be given the opportunity to respond to the charges.

The complainants will likewise be allowed to reply to the respondents’ counter-affidavits before prosecutors resolve the case.

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

Earlier, the CIDG recommended the filing of charges against former Ateneo men’s basketball coach Tab Baldwin and several others in connection with the drowning deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.