The Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday said the employment of former Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin was under an “independent contractor agreement”
In a statement posted on its website and Facebook page, the university said he had been under the agreement since 2016.
“This contractual arrangement predates the Aurora tragedy by nearly a decade and is reflected in written agreements. The existence of that contractual arrangement is a matter of proven record,” the university said.
“We understand that the University’s legal team’s responses during the DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment] clarificatory hearing generated questions and concerns. Some commentaries have also suggested that the University’s position regarding Coach Baldwin’s contractual relationship was manufactured after the tragic events in Aurora in order to avoid liability. These suggestions are not supported by the truth,” it added.
The university said its participation in the DOLE proceedings is one part of its commitment to cooperate with the legal process.
“Given Coach Baldwin’s longstanding stewardship of the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team, it is understandable that many assumed he was an employee of the University. However, that assumption should not be confused with the actual legal nature of his engagement as head coach,” the university said.
“The University’s legal team referred to this longstanding contractual arrangement because it became relevant to the issues raised during the DOLE proceedings. It was not presented to act as a subterfuge for the University to evade any form of accountability,” it added.
