DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 26 June 2026) – What happened in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8 that led to the death of Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili was hazing and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has recommended the filing of charges against resigned Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin and 10 others for violating RA 11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018.

“The PNP-CIDG recommends the evaluation, case build-up, and preliminary investigation to the Department of Justice for violation of RA-11053 or the Anti-Hazing Act against respondents who actually planned and participated in the hazing. Section 14 states that those who actually planned or participated in the hazing as a consequence of the hazing death results therefrom,” Local Governments Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in a press conference Friday morning.

Remulla said the PNP-CIDG interviewed 60 respondents with 320 hours worth of interview in two weeks, with 68 lawyers present during the interviews. He said they have “over 620 pages of testimony, all which corroborate to the fact that they were subjected to extreme weather and extreme conditions which resulted in death.”

He clarified that the recommendation of the CIDG is as complainant of the case “but the final arbiter of what they will be charged with will be the Department of Justice.”

Remulla said that based on the evidences gathered, the two players drowned during seawater training conducted at around 2.30 p.m., “during high tide when waves pulled the players further offshore.”

He quoted Baldwin as saying that the Blue Eagle Band of Brothers (BEBOB) training is “based on the fact that it’s very difficult for young men who are at the height of their playing prowess, all of whom have egos that are fed by loving parents, adoring girlfriends, adoring fans, victories along the way, and these egos needed to be broken down to the whole” and that the best way do that is “to break the man and reduce him to a state where he can’t do things on his own and requires the assistance of others in order to accomplish something.”

“What we seek to do is stretch the limits of these players, take them near their limit,” Remulla quoted Baldwin as saying.

He explained that the team building in Dipaculao “ay nag-crossover papunta sa hazing.”

“Ang hazing po, iniulit ko po, ang hazing po ay hindi initiations lamang. Ang dating concept natin ay nagpa-paddle, ang dating concept natin ay hinihiya, ang dating concept natin ay pinapahirapan. Ayon sa batas na revised ng 2018, hazing refers to any act that results in physical or psychological suffering, harm, or injury inflicted on a recruit, neophyte, applicant, or member that applies to the basketball team as a prerequisite for admission or requirement or continuing membership in an organization.”

He said hazing includes “forced calisthenics and exposure to weather or other brutal treatment, forced physical activity which is found to adversely affect the physical and psychological health of such recruit.”

He said Baterbonia and Adili “were exposed to a hazardous open-sea environment characterized by rip currents, strong waves, and varying sea depths.”

Elements of hazing

Assistant Secretary Brian Tomas said all three elements of hazing are present in the Dipaculao case: physical or psychological suffering which, he said, is “very clear” with the death of two persons; a prerequisite or requirement for continuing membership of admission to an organization; and there was a “deliberate intent to cause suffering among the players.”

Tomas said the CIDG got evidence that would show the activity in Dipaculao was “precisely made to determine which members of the team will make it to the final list submitted by Coach Tab Baldwin to the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) board.”

He said 20 athletes were present during the activity but “only 17 would eventually be in that final list submitted to the UAAP, meaning there would be three members eliminated and it appears from the evidence gathered by the CIDG that this activity was made precisely to screen or as a requirement for entrance into that list.”

He said the circumstances point to the fact that the activity was “really geared towards identifying which players will be fit for the final roster of UAAP players.”

Tomas said the water-based activity constitutes hazing because there was a “deliberate intent to cause suffering among the players.”

Low tide, high tide

He said Baldwin in his testimony before the CIDG admitted they intentionally chose the dates, June 7 to 12, to coincide with the low tide, “meaning he is aware of the low tide and high tide information during the said dates.”

“Although the admission is only for the low tide, as you can see from the photo on the left, any information about low tide necessarily includes information on high tide,” he said, adding that on June 8, the afternoon high tide was listed as 2:27 pm., “the time Baldwin subjected the student-athletes into the water-based activity which caused the death of the two Ateneo players.”

He recalled the day’s itinerary: the players were roused from sleep at 4 a.m., made to run for four kilometers, “followed by intense physical games and punishment for losers in these games.”

The sea water training was conducted at around 2 to 2.30 p.m. and around 2.30 to 2.40 p.m., “strong waves pulled the players offshore. And after the headcount, it was found that two of these players drowned and died,” Tomas said.

Remulla said the seawater training was planned.  He said Baldwin and company knew something could happen. “Alam nila na pwedeng meron mangyari,”  because they asked the players who didn’t know how to swim and five responded, including Adili.

He noted that when Baldwin knew who did not know how to swim, he gave them information on how to handle rip currents. “So alam niya na hindi marunong lumangoy, pero tinuruan niyo pa rin paano mag-handle ng rip currents. So nakita namin na alam talaga niya (So he knew they didn’t know how to swim but instructed them on how to handle rip currents. So he knew).

He was of full knowledge that this could possibly happen. Ang mahirap dito, paano mo tuturuan ang hindi marunong lumangoy na mag-handle ng rip current” (The problem is how do you teach somebody who does not know how to swim to handle the rip current?)

Remulla said no ankle weights were used.

For charging

Aside from Baldwin, the 10 others recommended for charging are Grant Dearns, Strength and Conditioning Coach; Cesar Vincent Javellana Elumba, Strength and Conditioning Coach; Assistant coaches Dean Cesar Castaño, Sandro Nicolás Romero Soriano and  Reynaldo C. Jacinto; student managers Paolo Manuel Maceda Adevoso and Andrew Lorenzo Bondoc Salud;  John Eric Quimbao Rueca, Physical Therapist; and utility ballboys Aris Ramos Ponce and Joel Palmiano Rapa.

Tomeas said these 11 were all present in Dipaculao on June 8. “Under the legal theory that was developed by the CIDG, all these respondents would be charged as principal,” adding that there was a finding that “they acted in conspiracy with each other to commit that particular offense, Section 14A, and so all these who were present are deemed or recommended to be charged as principals.”

According to RA 11053, the penalty of reclusion perpetua (20 years and one day to 40 years) and a fine of three million pesos (P3,000,000.00) shall be imposed upon those who actually planned or participated in the hazing if, as a consequence of the hazing, death, rape, sodomy, or mutilation results therefrom.”

“When it comes to Ateneo,” Remulla said, there is a concept of loco parentis which might be explored by the Department of Justice. “But that requires a deeper investigation into the law. We are just looking into the criminal aspect. But definitely there will be civil liabilities of the Ateneo de Manila because of the deaths of the two individuals.”

He said there was an incident during a similar team building activity in 2016 or 2017 where two players almost drowned but Baldwin told investigators he could not recall such an incident. One of the former players interviewed by the CIDG said Baldwin himself rescued him by giving him a surfboard.

But ADMU President Roberto Yap said he was not yet a member of the ADMU leadership then and had no knowledge about this incident.

Remulla noted that in all the testimonies, “ginawa ito na hindi alam ng Ateneo de Manila University. Hindi nila alam” (the activity in Dipaculao was  done without the knowledge of ADMU. They didn’t know).

According to multiple testimonies, Remulla said, ADMU athletics director Em Fernandez and ADMU President Yap knew after the fact. ”Nalaman lang ni Director Em Fernandez after the fact, noong nangyari na. Nalaman lang ni Father Bobby Yap after the fact, noong nangyari na.” (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)