FORMER Ateneo Basketball Team Head Coach Tab Baldwin appeared before the first public inquiry conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday, June 29.
During the hearing presided over by Labor Secretary Atty. Francis Tolentino, Baldwin confirmed that he has been working in the Philippines without holding a valid Alien Employment Permit (AEP). He stated that the only official document in his possession is an Alien Certificate of Residency (ACR), which he obtained back in 2016.
According to Baldwin, he was advised by a certain lawyer named Atty. Dong Florencio that the residency certificate was sufficient and that securing an AEP was no longer necessary. However, this explanation raised questions from Secretary Tolentino, especially after Baldwin admitted that he was first hired as a consultant by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) as early as 2013. The Labor chief noted the three-year gap between his start of employment and the issuance of his residency document, to which Baldwin replied that he was unable to attend to the requirements due to his heavy workload and focus on coaching Ateneo’s basketball team for a full year.
In response to these findings, DOLE announced that it will summon Atty. Florencio, who assisted and advised Baldwin on his documents, as well as the management of Ateneo de Manila University, on July 9. Baldwin’s legal counsel maintained that the coach is exempted from securing an AEP because he holds a permanent residency visa, and expressed their willingness to cooperate fully with the investigation. The clarificatory hearing is linked to the tragic drowning incident that claimed the lives of two Ateneo Blue Eagles student-athletes, Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
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