Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, nagpakita na sa publiko si Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin matapos mangyari ang trahedyang ikinasawi ng players na sina Rene Baterbonia, 19, at Divine Adili, 21.
Noong Huwebes, June 11, 2026, dumalo ang American-New Zealander basketball coach sa candle-lighting at vigil na isinagawa sa Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).
Nagtipon-tipon ang Ateneo community upang magbigay-pugay sa dalawang namayapang student-athlete.
Binawian ng buhay sina Baterbonia at Adili matapos malunod habang nagsasagawa ng team-building activity ang Ateneo Blue Eagles sa Dipaculao, Aurora, noong June 8, 2026.
Mula noon, hindi na nasilayan ng publiko si Baldwin at ang iba pang coaches na kasama sa naturang aktibidad.
Read: Police release initial findings in two Ateneo players' drowning
PSC chief asks "Where’s Tab Baldwin?" as families seek answers in Ateneo tragedy
Ang mismong pamilya nina Baterbonia at Adili ay hindi matanggap ang sinapit ng dalawang student athletes.
Sa panayam ng media sa ina ni Baterbonia na sa Rovelyn, sinabi nitong hanggang ngayon ay marami pa ring detalye tungkol sa pagkamatay ng anak ang hindi malinaw sa kanya.
Read: Rene Baterbonia's mother not satisfied with Ateneo's explanation
Hindi rin siya kumbinsido sa pahayag na aksidente lamang ang nangyari kay Rene, lalo na't may mga kumakalat na espekulasyong may mabibigat na bagay umano na nakalagay sa katawan ng anak nang mangyari ang insidente.
Ayon kay Philippine Sports Commission chief Patrick Gregorio, si Baldwin lamang ang makakasagot sa mga tanong ni Rovelyn.
Ngunit paano raw ito mangyayari kung hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nagpapakita sa publiko ang 68-anyos na basketball coach matapos ang trahedya.
Dahil dito, noong June 11, nanawagan si Gregorio kay Baldwin na humarap at magsalita na sa lalong madaling panahon upang magbigay-linaw sa mga katanungan kaugnay ng insidente.
Pahayag niya: "Where is Tab Baldwin? Why is he still not speaking up? This is beyond Ateneo. This is a national concern.
"Out of respect for the family and the Filipino people, he has to come forward.
"He has been here for 10 years. I don't understand why he can't understand our culture — konting respeto at pakikipagkapwa naman."
Noong 2016 nang maupo bilang head coach ng Ateneo Blue Eagles si Baldwin.
Sa ilalim ng kanyang pamumuno, nakamit ng koponan ang apat na kampeonato sa University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), kabilang ang tatlong sunod na titulo mula 2017 hanggang 2019 at isa pa noong 2022.
Noong June 10, mariin namang kinondena ng Philippine National Police (PNP) Aurora Provincial Office ang mga alegasyong may foul play sa pagkamatay nina Rene at Adili
Kinumpirma ng Aurora Provincial Police sa pangunguna ni Police Colonel Percival R. Pineda na "asphyxia by drowning" o kakulangan ng oxygen dulot ng pagkalunod ang sanhi ng pagkamatay ni Rene.
Read: PNP Aurora rules out foul play in deaths of two Ateneo players
Ateneo defends Baldwin’s silence
Samantala, sa pahayag ng ADMU nitong June 11, iginiit nilang hindi "personal choice" ni Baldwin na manahimik kaugnay sa nangyaring trahedya.
Read: Mother of Rene Baterbonia suspects foul play in son’s death
Ayon sa unibersidad, sila raw mismo ang humiling ditong huwag munang magbigay ng anumang pahayag habang inaalam ng awtoridad ang tunay na nangyari.
Habang gumugulong ang imbestigasyon, pinag-leave muna raw nila si Baldwin at ang team manager ng koponan na si Christopher "Epok" Quimpo.
Read: Rene Baterbonia’s dream: "Maiahon ko ang pamilya ko sa kahirapan"
Layunin umano nitong matiyak na makikipagtulungan sila nang buo sa mga awtoridad nang walang anumang pressure o impluwensya mula sa labas.
Mababasa sa kanilang pahayag (published as is): "The University wishes to clarify that Coach Tab Baldwin's silence following the tragedy was not a personal decision made independently of the University.
"The University requested that Coach Baldwin refrain from making public statements to allow the official processes to proceed and the facts to be established before any public discussion of the matter.
"In the immediate aftermath of this heartbreaking loss, our guidance to Coach Baldwin was to focus his attention on the emotional and psychological welfare of the players, coaches, and staff affected by the incident, while also attending to his own well-being as someone who is grieving alongside the rest of the community.
"At a time when our priority was caring for those most directly affected, we believed it was neither appropriate nor helpful to ask Coach Baldwin to engage in public commentary while the community was mourning and while the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being examined.
"His silence should therefore not be misconstrued as indifference or a lack of concern.
"Rather, it reflects the University's decision to place care, healing, and due process ahead of public discussion.
"As the various inquiries proceed, the University remains confident that the truth, established through facts rather than speculation, will in due course provide the clarity and understanding that this tragedy demands."
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