‘Where is Tab Baldwin?’ PSC demands Ateneo coach to show up

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio on Thursday, June 11, called out Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin for his continued silence and absence in the aftermath of the drowning incident that took the lives of Ateneo basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

Baldwin has yet to either appear publicly or release a statement since Baterbonia and Adili died on Monday, June 8, during the Blue Eagles’ team building at a private resort in Dipaculao, Aurora.

“Where is Tab Baldwin? Why is he still not speaking up? This is beyond Ateneo. This is a national concern,” Gregorio said in a statement.

Baldwin was a no-show on Wednesday, June 10, when players and members of the Ateneo coaching staff paid their respects to Baterbonia and his grieving parents at the Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City. 

Under Baldwin’s tutelage, the Blue Eagles — according to the police — have held similar team building activities in Aurora.

Baterbonia’s mother Rene said she is not ready to face Baldwin yet as she wants to prioritize the return of her son’s remains to Mindanao, where wakes will be held in Agusan del Sur and Davao City.

“Out of respect for the family and the Filipino people, he has to come forward,” said Gregorio.

Gregorio also does not get why Baldwin has failed to show up when he has been in the Philippines long enough to get a grasp of Filipinos’ traditions and way of life, having coached Ateneo since 2015 and even calling the shots for Gilas Pilipinas. 

“I don’t understand why he can’t understand our culture — he needs to show some respect and compassion,” said Gregorio.

Baldwin, an American-Kiwi coach, moved to the Philippines in 2014 when he was hired by TNT as a team consultant in the PBA.

He was appointed as Gilas Pilipinas head coach in the same year then Ateneo head coach in 2015.

As a foreigner, Baldwin is being asked to present his Alien Employment Permit to Department of Labor and Employment, which issued a subpoena against the coach.

“No foreign national working in this country is above the law, regardless of the status, reputation or the institution they represent,” said DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino said on Thursday. – Rappler.com