MANILA — The UAAP has permanently shut the door on former Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin, imposing a lifetime ban from the league over the team-building tragedy in Aurora that claimed the lives of Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
In its toughest disciplinary action arising from the June 8, 2026 incident in Dipaculao, Aurora, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines barred Thomas Anthony Baldwin from all UAAP competitions and related activities in any capacity.
Baldwin is also permanently prohibited from entering any UAAP competition venue, with the league stressing that the sanction is final and cannot be appealed.
The UAAP Board handed down the penalties after reviewing Ateneo’s internal investigation as well as official reports from the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Ateneo representatives inhibited themselves from the Board’s final deliberations and decision-making.
The league also suspended Ateneo team manager Christopher John Quimpo, assistant coaches Dean Caesar Castaño, Sandro Nicholas Romero Soriano, Reynaldo Jacinto Jr., Hernan Ameer Domingo, Caesar Vincent Javellana Elumba and Grant Hearns, as well as physical therapist John Eric Rueca, from all UAAP competitions and related activities until further notice.
They are likewise barred from entering UAAP venues in any official capacity while serving their suspensions.
Unlike Baldwin’s lifetime ban, however, the sanctions against the other Ateneo officials may be appealed before the UAAP Board under league rules.
Despite the sweeping penalties against members of the coaching and management staff, Ateneo’s men’s basketball team will remain eligible to compete in UAAP Season 89.
The Board said both the PNP-CIDG and NBI did not recommend holding the student-athletes who were present during the incident liable, recognizing them instead as victims of the tragedy.
Ateneo’s continued participation, however, comes with a directive from the UAAP to conduct a comprehensive review of the organizational structure and management of its men’s basketball program and broader athletics program.
The review is intended to strengthen student-athlete welfare, accountability, institutional oversight and safety measures.
The UAAP said the sanctions were imposed not only to hold those responsible accountable but also to reinforce safeguards aimed at protecting student-athletes and preventing similar tragedies.
The league also extended its condolences to the families of Baterbonia and Adili, describing their deaths as “an immeasurable loss” to the UAAP community./PN
