A woman who identified herself as the wife of embattled Ateneo de Manila University coach Tab Baldwin claimed she had repeatedly warned the university that minors were unsafe around him.
In a video posted by her lawyer in New Zealand that has since gone viral, the woman, identified as Efi, said she decided to speak publicly following Baldwin’s recent apology to the parents of basketball players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who drowned during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.
“This video is because of his latest interview, when he talks about his family. I want to make sure he doesn’t represent me, or my kids,” Efi said.
Efi said she and Baldwin have remained legally married since 2011, but that she left him in early 2020 to protect herself and their children.
She also alleged that her efforts to alert Ateneo de Manila University about her concerns were unsuccessful.
“I repeatedly told the Ateneo University that children are not safe around him and it was their duty to remove him,” she said.
According to Efi, she urged the university to keep Baldwin away from the campus, but claimed that doing so resulted in what she described as a campaign of intimidation and silencing. She did not identify those allegedly involved.
Addressing the parents of Baterbonia and Adili, Efi criticized Baldwin’s message issued on Friday, saying she interpreted it as an attempt to encourage the public to move on from the tragedy.
“Rovelyn and Elias, the deaths of your kids were not only predictable but preventable. The bodies of your kids are still warm. And he’s talking about moving on,” she said.
“That’s terrible,” Efi added.
She also called on Filipinos and law enforcement authorities to continue examining why Baldwin remained involved with children despite what she described as repeated warnings.
As of writing, Ateneo de Manila University and Baldwin have yet to issue statements in response to Efi’s allegations
