Multiple authorities issue subpoenas to Ateneo coaches, staff following drowning incident
The Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has issued subpoenas to Ateneo de Manila University basketball coaches and players, as part of its investigation into the deaths of two student-athletes in Aurora.
CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II announced on Thursday that several individuals, including head coach Tab Baldwin, have been summoned. Investigators are continuing to look into the deaths of Rene Baterbonia, 19, and Divine Adili, 21, in Dipaculao, Aurora, on June 8.
Also ordered to appear before the CIDG on June 15 are resort personnel, local government officials, and the team's bus driver.
"We have to be enlightened doon sa activities nila, circumstances, during that time. But we are trying to establish if the school authorities concerned have prepared for the safety and medical needs of the athletes," he said during the press conference.
He also disclosed that several school authorities are being examined as persons of interest.
NBI, other agencies to probe drowning incident
The Department of Labor and Employment has likewise issued a subpoena against Baldwin.
"The Department of Labor, under Article 40 is empowered to scrutinize the employment status of a foreign national," DOLE Secretary Francis Tolentino said, citing the Labor Code.
"No foreign national working in this country is above the law, regardless of the status, reputation or the institution they represent. Coach Baldwin is employed in the Philippines, and subject to Philippine labor laws…The DOLE will simply do its job verifying that he holds a valid and current alien employment permit..." he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to form a task force and conduct a thorough probe into the case.
“The NBI Central Office has been instructed to create a task force to conduct a thorough, comprehensive, and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the DOJ said in a statement on June 10. For its part, the NBI said that it would further verify whether there was indeed no foul play involved, following the findings of the Aurora police.
"Our respect for the work of the local police does not displace the Bureau’s duty to satisfy itself, independently and upon the evidence, of every circumstance surrounding this tragedy," it said on Thursday.
"It is important for the public to understand what a finding of 'no foul play' does and does not resolve. Such a finding speaks to the absence of intentional harm. It does not, by itself, answer a separate and equally consequential question under our laws: whether these deaths resulted from negligence in the conduct of the activity," it added.
The DOJ also said that the investigation will seek to establish the facts surrounding the deaths and determine whether criminal charges should be recommended.
Amid the ongoing investigation, Baterbonia's family has asked the DOJ to place Baldwin under an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order. DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said the PNP-CIDG has made a similar request.
Atty. Israelito Torreon, counsel for the Baterbonia family, asked Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida to issue an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against Baldwin. In a June 11 letter, Torreon said the request was meant to alert authorities should Baldwin attempt to leave the country while the case remains under investigation.
An ILBO does not bar a person from leaving the Philippines but notifies law enforcement agencies of any attempt to depart.
Several agencies and institutions have opened separate investigations into the incident, including the Aurora police, Dipaculao local government, Commission on Higher Education, and Philippine Sports Commission.
Police have ruled the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili as purely accidental.
The wake of Baterbonia is held at the Arlington Memorial Chapels and Crematory in Quezon City. His remains will be brought to Agusan del Sur on June 12. The Nigerian Embassy in the Philippines is coordinating the repatriation of Adili's remains to Nigeria.
