THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is not ruling out the possibility of negligence in the drowning deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles basketball team.
In a press conference on Monday, June 15, 2026, CIDG Director Major General Robert Morico II said the deaths of the two neophyte members of the team have become the subject of a possible homicide or hazing investigation.
“You know, number 1 due diligence was not exercised. Like a good father of a family, you will not subject an individual sa ganun katataas na waves. Second, there were past incidents already na nangyari. That’s the reason we will be asking why in Aurora after four activities [conducted] doon and we will be asking also have they considered na these players are basketball players and not swimmers,” he said.
“And we will be asking, out of the seven training staff na kasama, swimmer ba sila or who conducted the CPR. The material question that we are going to ask is you have conducted the training in the morning sa harapan ng resort. ‘Yung harap ng resort is more than let’s say 50 meters. Why go doon sa secluded na lugar more than 300 meters away na malayo sa prying eyes? What’s the purpose when the lifeguard on duty is stationed doon sa resort. So basically, you are endangering somebody,” he added.
Morico noted that local authorities and resort personnel had allegedly warned the coaching staff about the dangers of the waters in the area that even local never dared to swim there.
The CIDG chief said investigators are examining allegations that the two victims, who were newcomers to the team, may have been subjected to activities that could fall within the scope of the Anti-Hazing Act.
While the investigation remains ongoing, Morico said initial findings point to the coaching staff, particularly the team's head coach, Tab Baldwin, as central figures in the inquiry.
“When the course of investigation, kaninong utak ‘yung ganung training? That's part of the question, but right now, all directions pinpoints doon sa head coach and we are not totally exonerating, the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
The CIDG earlier issued subpoena to five key officials of the Ateneo basketball team but only athletics director Em Fernandez personally appeared before the PNP unit.
Morico said they will again issue subpoena to include representatives of a telecommunication firm to determine the company's possible liabilities considering that they are directly running the planning, funding, or approval of the activities of the team.
He said the CIDG has also reached out to former players and current team members as resource persons amid allegations that similar training activities may have been conducted in the past.
He said investigators are also looking into claims circulating on social media that the activity was more akin to a “boot camp” than a team building exercise.
“There are allegations ng ganun, that's why we subpoenaed some players as resource persons who experienced it,” Morico said.
“During the conduct of social media exploitation, there are players na sinasabi nila the head coach is not your friend. They do not describe it as team-building activity. It's a boot camp technically,” he added.
At least three former players are expected to be invited, while the remaining members of the current team are scheduled to appear before investigators on Friday, after their lawyers requested a postponement, citing trauma from the incident.
Morico also confirmed that statements made by Baldwin's estranged wife, which have gained attention online following the tragedy, would form part of the CIDG's line of inquiry.
“That is one of the parts of the line of questioning that we will be asking sa Ateneo authorities and we will also try to reach out to the wife, who I think is abroad, including the daughter,” he said.
Over the weekend, Efi Kalogirou, the estranged wife of Baldwin, publicly spoke out following the deaths of the student-athletes.
Kalogirou claimed that she had previously warned officials of Ateneo de Manila University about concerns involving Baldwin and called for accountability in the wake of the tragedy.
“At the time, I repeatedly told the University that children are not safe around him and it was their duty to remove him. I urged them to move him away from the campus, and they proceeded to launch a campaign of intimidation and silencing,” she said.
She said the incident is “predictable and preventable” and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
Ateneo president Fr. Roberto Yap SJ confirmed on June 15 the resignation of Baldwin, as well as of the team’s manager Epok Quimpo.
Morico said the CIDG has written a letter addressed to the Department of Justice for the issuance of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against the team’s coaches who refused to heed to the subpoena the agency issued. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)