The UAAP announces sanctions tied to the Ateneo drowning incident in Dipaculao, Aurora, which resulted in the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. The league imposes a permanent ban on former Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin, barring him for life from UAAP participation and from entering any UAAP competition venues. The UAAP states that Baldwin’s sanction is not appealable.
At the same time, the UAAP clears Ateneo players to compete in the upcoming Season 89. The outlets report that Ateneo’s internal investigation and an administrative review are part of the process, based on publicly available official reports from the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). While the reports describe that Baldwin and his coaching staff are punished in connection with the incident, Ateneo’s student-athletes are allowed to continue with the season.
The UAAP’s decisions separate sanctions for the coach from eligibility for the athletes, with the league’s ruling taking effect ahead of the next season.
