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Ateneo de Manila University men's basketball team coach Tab Baldwin has issued an official statement of apology through a pre-recorded video following the tragedy involving basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity held in Dipaculao, Aurora.

In a direct address to the grieving families, Tab emphasized that the loss experienced within their homes is far greater than any sorrow felt by the team or athletic department.

“I've known since the moment that I was told that our boys had passed away, that no matter the magnitude of our grief, there were two families that experienced a loss that was so much greater than ours, and a loss that would stay with them in the most acute way for the remainder of their lives,” the coach said.

“Never again would Rene's mother and father and family, never again would Divine's family be able to talk to their son or touch their son,” he added.

The American-Kiwi coach also acknowledged the profound personal impact of the tragedy, stating he had lost the opportunity to guide the young men into their promised futures.

However, he stated that the team's grief is nothing compared to the pain of the victims' families.

Ultimately, Baldwin noted that the coaching staff had failed the core responsibility of protecting the well-being of the children entrusted to their program.

“Yes, as a coach, I lost my boys, too. Never again would I be able to help them develop into the basketball player they wanted to be, to help them grow into the young man that they promised that they could be,” he said.

He continued, “That's insignificant compared to what your families are experiencing. As a coach, we are entrusted with the development of these young men into future professionals. But mostly, as a coach, I'm entrusted by you, the parents and the families, with first and foremost, their well-being.”

Coach Tab also offered a direct and profound apology for failing to protect the athletes.

“And in this, I failed,” he said.

“I'm sorry. To the depth of my being, I'm sorry,” he added.

Recounting the events, the coach said that they sent the team into the water under the mistaken belief that conditions were safe.

“On that fateful day when we sent the players out for a routine training run in what we thought was shallow water, up to the moment when we realized that whatever had happened, they were in dangerous water,” Tab said.

“We did everything that we could as coaches, as people responsible for that situation, the players themselves did everything they could to ensure that everybody arrived back on shore safely. And then we realized that we hadn't accomplished that,” he continued.

Consequently, he admitted he failed the athletes across all his roles as their leader, coach, and friend.

“In that moment, I experienced the descent into the darkest place imaginable. And yet I knew at the same time that good people, people that had done an amazing job raising these two young men, were going to be in an even darker, more horrible place. At that moment, I felt I had failed,” said the Ateneo basketball coach.

“I failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach. I certainly felt like I had failed as a friend to Divine and Rene,” he added.

The coach closed his statement by acknowledging his failure and asking for prayers and unity as they move forward.

“I'm so deeply sorry. I'm so deeply sorry to not just the families, but everybody that feels let down, somehow betrayed. And I pray that we all find some pathway forward to come back to hope for the future, love for one another, and forgiveness for those of us who failed and tried so desperately hard to reach a better outcome,” he expressed.

Rene Baterbonia died at the age of 19, while Divine Adili was 21.

Meanwhile, Ateneo has placed Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo on leave while the university investigates the incident.

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