HEAD coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have stepped down from their posts with the Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball team following the drowning incident that claimed the lives of players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

The development was announced on Monday by Ateneo president Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Yap, SJ, exactly a week after the tragedy occurred during a team-building activity along the coast of Dipaculao, Aurora.

“We thank them for their years of service to the Blue Eagles, but as we enter a period of deep institutional review, a change in leadership is necessary to ensure the full integrity of our sports programs and the safety protocols that govern them,” Yap said during a press conference at the Ateneo campus in Quezon City.

“We must look inward, examine our systems, and rebuild the structures of our athletic programs so that our fields and playing courts remain places where dreams are nurtured, not broken,” he added.

Yap also extended the university’s apology to the families of the two players, saying the tragedy had deeply shaken the Ateneo community.

“When a young man dies, we mourn not only the loss of life but also the shattering of dreams. We mourn the potential that will never be fulfilled,” he said.

“To the families of Rene and Divine, we see you. We acknowledge the unbearable pain of your grief. We know that the sorrow you carry is compounded, and that your anger is entirely natural, justified and deeply human. On behalf of Ateneo de Manila University, I am here to say simply and directly: we are truly, deeply sorry.”

Yap, however, disputed claims by Rene’s mother, Rovelyn Baterbonia, that the family was not immediately informed about the incident.

“There was somebody from Ateneo who spoke to her on the very night it happened,” Yap said, declining to provide further details about the conversation.

The university has yet to decide whether it will participate in the upcoming University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 12.

“Regarding the UAAP, we have not made a decision yet,” Yap said.

Baldwin, 68, joined Ateneo in 2016 and guided the Blue Eagles to four UAAP championships, including a historic three-peat from 2017 to 2019. He also steered the team to Philippine Collegiate Champions League titles in 2018 and 2019.

Quimpo, meanwhile, was a member of Ateneo’s 2002 championship squad that ended the school’s 14-year title drought in the UAAP before moving into the corporate and sports management fields.