Thomas Anthony “Tabal” Baldwin has been urged to speak with the family of the late Rene Clert Baterbonia and with his former team at Ateneo de Davao University, a request made in the name of peace of mind after the 18-year-old recruit’s death. The appeal, made on June 12, puts Baldwin at the center of a matter that now reaches beyond Ateneo de Manila University and into two basketball communities tied to Baterbonia’s short path through the game.

Baldwin is the head coach of the Ateneo de Manila University basketball team, and Baterbonia had only just been recruited to play for the school, barely becoming a Blue Eagle before he died. Jess Evangelio, who coached Baterbonia at Ateneo de Davao University, said Baldwin should talk to the family and the former team for “peace of mind,” making clear that the concern is as much about what is left unsaid as what has already happened. Baterbonia, known as Bobet, was 18 and from Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.

That is what gives the request its weight now: Baterbonia was home, and the people closest to his basketball journey want the conversation to happen there, where his loss is felt most sharply. The call does not say whether Baldwin has already spoken with the family or with the Ateneo de Davao group, leaving the most immediate question unanswered even as the appeal itself has gone public. For now, the next step is whether Baldwin answers that call.