No foul play. No hazing. No ankle weights on Rene Clert Baterbonia and Chukwuemeka Divine Adili when they drowned in the waters of Dipaculao, Aurora. But this does not mean no accountability.
Two student-athletes of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles Men's Basketball Team were pulled out to sea by strong currents at a team-building activity led by Coach Thomas Anthony 'Tab' Baldwin. It was an accident. However, the question arises: was there criminal negligence?
Understanding Criminal Negligence
Criminal negligence occurs when a person acts with reckless disregard for risks to human life and safety. There is no intent to harm, but the behavior is so reckless that the law punishes it like a deliberate crime. Four key elements define criminal negligence.
Duty of Care
Coach Tab had a moral and legal obligation to protect the safety of the student-athletes during an activity he organized. He was responsible for their well-being.
Breach of Duty
Coach Tab did not just fail to protect Clert and Divine. He put them in harm's way, and as a result, both boys lost their lives. This constitutes a clear breach of duty.
Gross Deviation from Standard Practice
According to Philippine Sports Commission Chair John Patrick 'Pato' Gregorio, Coach Tab's military-style boot camp training was not standard athletic training. While water training is typical, it is normally conducted in a controlled environment like a swimming pool. The military-style training in a remote venue with open sea and no life jackets violated standard safety rules. These were not mistakes; they were violations.
Foreseeable Harm
Coach Tab had conducted this deadly boot camp at Aurora three times before, making him familiar with the treacherous waters and rip currents. It nearly claimed the life of an athlete in a previous boot camp. The harm was not just foreseeable; it was known.
No one is accusing Coach Tab and his team of foul play or intention to harm. However, it cannot be denied that they put these student-athletes in harm's way, which is the opposite of their duty to protect them. These boys might have needed physical and mental rigors to forge them into fierce Blue Eagles, but their lives were not for their coaches to gamble with. You cannot win against the forces of nature when they cast their fury upon you. It was reckless of Coach Tab to test the mettle of his athletes in this environment.
Why the Boot Camp?
The Bebob (Blue Eagles Band of Brothers) camp, though notoriously brutal and infamously dreaded, became a source of pride for the athletes. It was believed to be instrumental in bringing Ateneo the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men's basketball championship in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. According to Coach Tab, the Bebob camp was inspired by legendary football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant's boot camps, whose core philosophy was to break the men and strip them of their individual egos so they would be forced to work together. The camp's physical and mental tasks were designed so no one could survive or succeed on their own, forcing all to rely on their teammates. The element of danger was crucial. Isolation, physical, mental, and psychological, was intentional. The goal was brotherhood forged through isolation from everyone else. But at what cost?
Ateneo's duty to protect Rene and Divine was sacrosanct. Their deaths are a profound betrayal of trust. Glory lies in winning a championship, but it also lies in stepping off the court to honor lives lost in pursuit of a championship. The best test of one's mettle is in real life, not in the open sea. Fly down the hill, Blue Eagles.
