Divine Adili’s parents, Elias and Ifeoma Joy, finally opened up about what transpired between them and former Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin following the June 8 Aurora tragedy that claimed the lives of their son and Rene Baterbonia.
The late Blue Eagles center tragically died in the drowning incident in Dipaculao, Aurora, 100 days ago.
It was evident that grief takes different forms, as Adili’s parents offered contrasting accounts regarding Baldwin and his apology.
Elias shared that Baldwin had contacted both him and his wife, adding that he was familiar with the former Ateneo coach and his staff at the time.
“During the time when it happened, I talked with Baldwin. Because I’m a fan of Ateneo, I know about them. I talked to him; he said he was sorry,” he explained in a press conference on Wednesday.
Although Elias acknowledged that Baldwin personally apologized for the recklessness that led to the deaths of the two Ateneo student-athletes, he admitted that there was nothing more he could do.
“But there’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing I can do.”
In contrast, Divine’s mother, Ifeoma Joy, recounted her own experience and how she responded to Baldwin’s gesture, saying the apology came too late.
“We talked with the coach, and we talked to the players about what happened exactly. But honestly, to be honest… I don’t know about my husband, but I’m talking for myself: he spoke to us very late,” she shared.
More than simply pointing out that an apology could no longer reverse what happened in Aurora on that fateful day, Ifeoma Joy revealed how long it took for Baldwin to personally reach out to them.
“About four days after the incident, which is not proper. So that is just it.”
With tears still evident in her eyes, Ifeoma Joy could only come to terms with what had happened.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she said.
Baldwin resigned on June 15 following the incident and was subsequently perpetually banned from the UAAP.
The Adili family attended Ateneo’s UAAP Season 89 opener against UE and will remain in the Philippines for the time being, primarily for fact-finding purposes.
They are also scheduled to attend the Blue Eagles’ second match on Saturday against UP.
