Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has broken his silence following the tragic deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, expressing sorrow and “immense remorse” to their families.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, Baldwin addressed the families of the two young basketball players, acknowledging the immense loss they continue to endure.
“But they are gone, and we are left behind,” said Baldwin in an official video released by the university on social media. “We are carrying immense sorrow. We are carrying immense grief. We are carrying immense remorse,” he added.
The veteran coach emphasized that while the team is grieving, the pain experienced by the families is far greater.
“As a coach, I lost my boys too. But that’s insignificant compared to what you families are experiencing,” he said. “Never again would Rene’s mother and father and family, never again would Divine’s family be able to talk to their son or touch their son.”
Baldwin also took responsibility for the incident, admitting he felt he had failed in his duty to ensure the players’ safety.
“As a coach, I’m entrusted by you, the parents and the families, with first and foremost their well-being, and in this I feel I failed,” he said. “And I’m sorry. To the depth of my being, I’m sorry.”
Recalling the tragic day, Baldwin said the team had gone on what was believed to be a routine training run in shallow water before the situation turned dangerous.
“At that moment, I felt I had failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach. I certainly felt like I had failed as a friend to Divine and Rene,” he shared.
Baldwin ended his statement by asking for continued prayers for the Baterbonia and Adili families and for everyone affected by the tragedy.
“I’m so deeply sorry, not just to the families, but everybody that feels let down, somehow betrayed,” he said. “I pray that we all find some pathway forward to come back to hope for the future, love for one another, and forgiveness.”
The Ateneo community and Philippine basketball fans continue to mourn the loss of Baterbonia and Adili, whose deaths have left a profound impact on the school and the wider sporting community.
