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A woman who identified herself as the wife of embattled Ateneo de Manila University coach Tab Baldwin said she warned the school that minors were unsafe around him.
In a now-viral video posted by her lawyer in New Zealand, the woman named Efi said she decided to speak out because of Baldwin’s public apology to the parents of his 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 wanna make sure he doesn’t represent me, or my kids,” Efi said.
She said she remains officially married to Baldwin since 2011, but decided to “flee away” from him in early 2020 for her safety and that of their children.
She said her attempts to warn Ateneo about her husband were futile.
“I repeatedly told the Ateneo University that children are not safe around him and it was their duty to remove him,” she said.
“I urged them to move him away from the campus, the university campus, and they proceeded to launch a campaign of intimidation and silencing,” she added, without identifying the parties behind the supposed campaign.
Addressing the parents of Baterbonia and Adili, Efi took exeception to Baldwin’s message released on Friday evening, which she took to mean that the American-Kiwi coach wanted the public to “move on” from the issue.
“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 said, shaking her head.
“I urge the Filipinos and the police there to keep asking why he was still allowed around children in spite of these warnings,” Efi added.
The woman’s lawyer confirmed to GMA News that he was present during the recording of the video message.
GMA News has reached out to Ateneo de Manila University and Baldwin about the matter, but they have yet to respond as of posting time. — VDV, GMA News
