The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has recommended the filing of additional criminal charges against former Ateneo men's basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and eight others in connection with the drowning deaths of Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.
In a complaint set to be transmitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the CIDG recommended the filing of two counts of homicide and two counts of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against Baldwin and the eight other respondents. The latest recommendation broadens the case beyond the Anti-Hazing Act complaint that investigators had previously sought to file, with the DOJ now set to determine whether probable cause exists to formally charge the respondents in court.
Also named in the complaint were strength and conditioning coaches Grant Hearns and Ceasar Vincent Elumba, assistant coaches Dean Caesar Castaño, Sandro Nicholas Soriano and Reynaldo Jacinto Jr., and physical therapist John Eric Rueca.
Hearns left the country on June 10 and is already in New Zealand.
In addition, the CIDG included two Ateneo de Manila University athletics department officials in its latest recommendation: director Emmanuel Fernandez and sports facility officer Vincent Raphael Mangulabnan, expanding the list of respondents beyond the men's basketball coaching and support staff.
DOJ will now conduct its own preliminary investigation to determine whether probable cause exists to file criminal charges, with all respondents given the opportunity to submit their counter-affidavits and other evidence before prosecutors decide whether the case should proceed to court.
The Philippine Sports Commission, together with the Sports Stakeholders' Panel composed of the commission, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the UAAP, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Youth Commission, meanwhile, reaffirmed its support for the CIDG's investigation while emphasizing that the case has underscored the need for stronger safeguards in collegiate sports.
In a joint statement, the panel said the investigations have exposed the challenges coaches and team managers face in balancing high-performance training with their responsibility to protect student-athletes.
"Many sports demand discipline, rigorous physical conditioning, and mental fortitude. Coaches and team managers therefore bear the dual responsibility of pushing athletes to excel while exercising sound judgment and safeguarding them from harm, abuse, exploitation, and competing interests that compromise athlete-centered training," the statement read.
The group also reiterated its commitment to raising professional standards through continuing education, mandatory coaching certifications, including basic life support training, clearer operational guidelines, and stronger safeguarding measures.
As part of that effort, the PSC has begun rolling out its Coach Developer Academy, which will prepare coach developers to train and certify coaches under the proposed National Sports Coaching Certification Program, an initiative the panel hopes will strengthen athlete welfare and accountability across Philippine sports.
