Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has been labeled a "monster" by his stepdaughter, after his estranged wife said the university had ignored her concerns when she told officials that "children were not safe around him", as the story surrounding the drowning deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili took another turn on Saturday.
Efi Baldwin, the legal and estranged wife of the Blue Eagles head coach, made her claims in a public statement distancing herself and her children from the veteran mentor.
Mrs Baldwin's statement, released through her lawyer Tudor Clee on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), first detailed her current personal circumstances and long-standing separation from the Ateneo coach.
Statement of Efi wife of coach Tab Baldwin @ateneodemanilau @inquirerdotnet @News5PH @abscbnnews @HomerSayson @gmanews @PhilippineStar @dailynetizen24 @AbanteNews @mongualvez @onenewsph @Ateneo0BF @DYANCASTILLEJO @bncdotph @volleybagan @spinph #tabbaldwin @TabKalboPanalo pic.twitter.com/tVYG42hhPD
— Tudor Clee (@TudorClee) June 13, 2026
"My name is Efi, and I have been married to Tab Baldwin since 2011," she said. "I am still legally married to him; however, in early 2020, I had to leave him for my safety and the safety of my children."
The public disclosure came less than 24 hours after Baldwin had addressed, for the first time, the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili through a statement posted on the official Facebook page of Ateneo de Manila University.
Later that day, Baldwin appeared on the Homer Says podcast hosted by Homer Sayson and Pow Salud, on which he spoke briefly about the personal toll of recent events.
"I have a family, I have to help my family, I have to be there for them, but nothing is easy. Pow," Baldwin said during the interview.
A day later, Mrs Baldwin responded directly to address the remarks made in the podcast, particularly the reference to family.
"This statement is in response to his latest interview and his comments regarding his family," she said. "I want to make it clear that he does not represent me or my children."
Mrs Baldwin's statement also introduced allegations that she said dated back several years prior to the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili.
She claimed she had previously raised concerns with Ateneo officials regarding the safety of the student populace, specifically in the university premises.
"At the time, I repeatedly informed Ateneo de Manila University that children were not safe around him, and I urged the university to take action and remove him from the campus," she said.
"Instead, what followed was a campaign of intimidation and silencing."
The claims were not accompanied by specific details or evidence in the public statement, and they have not been independently verified.
However, the issue gained further traction after Baldwin's stepdaughter, Giota Kalogirou, posted a series of messages on X that echoed her mother's claims and expressed strong criticism of the Ateneo coach.
"My mom was harassed for months after trying to speak up," Kalogirou wrote. "She was married to this monster that has ruined so many lives. I hope people finally find out the truth."
Mrs Baldwin has called on the public and relevant authorities to continue examining how the situation was handled in the past, and to investigate why concerns she claims to have raised were not acted upon.
"I am urging Filipinos, as well as the authorities, to continue asking why he was still allowed around children despite these warnings," she said.
Neither Baldwin nor Ateneo have issued public clarification addressing the allegations raised by Mrs Baldwin and her daughter.
The university also has not released additional statements beyond its earlier acknowledgment of the situation surrounding the two student-athletes.
ESPN has not received replies to requests for comment from Baldwin or Ateneo de Manila University.