The estranged wife of Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has come forward with a grave warning: she says she told the university years ago that children were "not safe" around the American-Kiwi coach — and that she was ignored and silenced.
In a video posted Saturday, June 13, by New Zealand lawyer Tudor Clee, Efi Baldwin claimed she had repeatedly pleaded with Ateneo to remove her husband from contact with minors. "At the time I repeatedly told the university that children are not safe around him and it was their duty to remove him," she said. "I urged them to move him away from the campus, and they proceeded to launch a campaign of intimidation and silencing."
Efi said she fled Tab in early 2020 for the safety of herself and their kids. She said she had been legally married to him since 2011. Her motivation for speaking now: Tab's recent public apology video, in which he mentioned his family. "I want to make sure that he doesn't represent me or my kids," she said.
Tab's daughter, Giota Kalogirou, backed her mother's claims on X (formerly Twitter) and confirmed the video's authenticity to Rappler. "My mom BEGGED them to assign him into a different team — a team with adults, away from the university, away from minors, and they not only ignored her but made her life [a] living hell for months," she wrote. "Keep asking questions."
The allegations come just five days after the tragic deaths of Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. Both drowned on June 8 during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora province. Efi called the deaths "not only predictable, but preventable." She urged Filipinos and police to keep asking why Tab was still allowed around children despite her warnings.
Tab had remained silent for four days after the drownings. On June 12, he released a video apology on Ateneo's official social media pages. "As a coach, we are entrusted with the growth of our basketball players, the development of these young men into future professionals. But mostly, as a coach, I'm entrusted by you, the parents, and the families, with first and foremost, their well-being," he said. "And in this, I feel I failed. And I'm sorry."
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has received a request for an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order against Tab, which could prevent him from leaving the Philippines while investigations continue.
"I urge the Filipinos and the police there to keep asking why he was still allowed around children in spite of these warnings."
Efi's video marks a dramatic escalation in the controversy surrounding the deaths. Ateneo hasn't yet responded to her claims. The university's administration and the Philippine National Police are expected to conduct separate investigations into the drowning incident and the allegations against Tab.