Ateneo Blue Eagles players, Divine Adili, 21, and Rene Baterbonia, 19, drowned during a team-building swimming exercise in Dipaculao, Aurora, northeast of Manila, on June 8.
Baldwin recently broke his silence on the deaths, saying “we sent the players” on a “routine training run” into what coaches believed was shallow water before the pair drowned.
The college basketball coach gave his account of what happened in a pre-recorded message posted to the university’s social media.
He said staff sent players into what they thought was shallow water, but as soon as “we realised … they were in dangerous water”, coaches and players did everything to try to get everyone back safely.
When it became clear “we hadn’t accomplished that”, Baldwin said he descended “into the darkest place imaginable”.
The American-Kiwi coach has been subpoenaed by the Philippines Department of Labour.
He was due to appear before Labour Secretary Francis Tolentino on Monday to present proof of his work permit and detail the nature of the fatal training camp.
“No foreign national working in this country is above the law,” Tolentino said this week. “The family of Rene and Divine deserves answers, and they deserve accountability.”
Former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin made his first public appearance since the deaths of two Ateneo Blue Eagles players. Photo / The Guidon
The drownings have shocked the Philippines, prompting an outpouring of grief and widespread calls for accountability, with President Ferdinand Marcos jnr calling for an “immediate investigation”.
The Department of Justice is investigating the deaths, while a separate inquiry into the university’s athletic programme and its safety standards is underway.
Baldwin, who coached the Tall Blacks to a historic fourth place at the 2002 world championships was also inducted into the New Zealand Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.