MANILA, Philippines — Not a few fans and netizens have demanded that Ateneo de Manila men's basketball coach Tab Baldwin and his coaching staff be held accountable following the drowning of his players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a reported team-building activity in Aurora.
Amid calls to face the media and Baterbonia's family, Baldwin has remained silent about the matter since it went public last Monday.
Can he faced suspension or a preventive suspension while the investigation of the matter is ongoing?
The answer is no as far as the UAAP is concerned since the basketball season (Season 89) has not started yet.
UAAP executive director Rebo Saguisag said the league leaves that decision to Ateneo.
"I know this sounds (off) but there's no basketball, so there's nothing to suspend initially," said Saguisag during the PSC media panel at the PSC Media Hall in Manila Wednesday.
"Whatever preventive suspension, I don't whether or not their institution will do that, it's based on their prerogative. As far as we're concerned, the basketball season has not begun.
"We have to go where the evidence leads, the preventive suspension maybe up entirely to the member school."
Saguisag added that every party involve in this matter must be heard as part of the due process.
"We go where the evidence leads. We are now on the process of gathering information, waiting for official reports that have been undergoing and I believe Ateneo has already made a statement as well, page 2 of their June 9 statement, that they have cooperated with the NBI and CIDG," said Saguisag.
"Even us earlier, we're very careful when organizing, we're asking what we can do, we're not experts here, Ateneo's not here yet. We cannot pass on judgment this early. Not to trivialize what happened but again elementary due process states that everyone should be heard and the expertise of each agency should be considered."
