CIDG files anti-hazing complaint vs Tab Baldwin, 10 others over Ateneo players’ deaths

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) on Friday, June 26, filed a complaint for violation of Republic Act No. 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018 against resigned Ateneo men’s basketball team head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 others over the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

Aside from Baldwin, assistant coaches Jon Jacinto, Dean Castaño, and Sandro Soriano, strength and conditioning coaches Grant Dearns and CJ Elumba, and physical therapist Jerick Rueca will undergo preliminary investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Student managers Paolo Manuel Adevoso and Andrew Lorenzo Salud and utility personnel Aris Pronce and Joel Rapa were also named by the CIDG.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the seawater activity that claimed the lives of Baterbonia and Adili during the Blue Eagles’ team building in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8 featured elements of hazing under RA 11053, including physical or psychological suffering, prerequisite for admission or requirement for continuing membership, and forced calisthenics and exposure to weather. 

“We used to think that hazing was limited to initiations. But here, the team building and training crossed over into hazing,” Remulla said in mix of Filipino and English in a press briefing on Friday. 

Remulla said the CIDG conducted a total of 320 hours of interviews with around 60 respondents, including former Ateneo players who recounted near-drowning incidents during previous editions of the Blue Eagles’ team building. 

Among those were Aaron Black and Gboy Babilonia, who told investigators they were on the verge of drowning before they were saved by the coaches. 

But Baldwin — Remulla said — claimed that “there was no incident that even created the idea of drowning.” 

“When we asked Tab Baldwin if something like this had happened before, that someone almost drowned, he said none,” said Remulla. “However, his former players testified that they nearly drowned. That in itself shows a great inconsistency.” 

Contrary to the narrative amplified on social media, the players were not subjected to physical harm, Remulla said.

Also, CIDG Director Major General Robert Morico reiterated that the players, including Baterbonia and Adili, were not wearing weights during the seawater activity. 

“They were not harmed, but they were taken to a dangerous place where everything happened. The elements of the Anti-Hazing Law —  exposure to weather and forced calisthenics — were [present]. Because of the calisthenics and exposure to weather, it resulted in the drowning of two individuals,” said Remulla. 

While Ateneo may face civil liability over the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, Remulla said university administrators were not aware of the seawater activity.

Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap and athletics director Em Fernandez, Remulla said, only found out after the incident. 

“In all the testimonies, what came out was that this was done without the knowledge of Ateneo de Manila University,” said Remulla.

Remulla said team sponsors MVP Foundation and Smart Communications, which are headed by longtime Ateneo patron and businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, had no hand in the team building.

The DOJ on Friday said it received the recommendation of the CIDG.

“At this stage, the referral will undergo initial evaluation by the DOJ to determine whether the evidence submitted is complete and sufficient for further proceedings,” it said in a statement. – Rappler.com