Senators on Monday pushed for stronger anti-bullying policies in schools as a Senate panel reviewed existing safeguards amid persistent reports of bullying incidents involving Filipino students.
At the hearing, Committee on Basic Education committee chair Senator Bam Aquino said the issue has become a matter of deep concern for parents and communities, citing data indicating that bullying remains widespread in Philippine schools.
Aquino said the hearing was called amid concern that schools and other public spaces may be turning into places of fear instead of learning, innovation and empathy.
He cited findings presented by Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) showing that the Philippines has been tagged as the “bullying capital of the world,” with 50 percent of Grade 5 students reporting that they were bullied at least once a month and one in three Filipino students experiencing bullying in schools.
“Kapag ang ating mga anak ay binu-bully, bumubuo po tayo ng isang henerasyong puno ng trauma (When our children are bullied, we are creating a generation full of trauma),” Aquino said.
Senator Erwin Tulfo backed proposals to expand the scope of Republic Act No. 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, saying current measures may no longer be enough to deter repeated acts of bullying.
“Bullying is not a trivial matter. Napakarami pa ring insidente ng bullying ang naitatala sa ating mga paaralan taon-taon (Too many bullying incidents are still being recorded in our schools every year),” Tulfo said.
He said the law should be reviewed to make school responses more proactive, particularly in cases where students are too afraid to file formal complaints.
Tulfo raised the need for schools and teachers to act immediately on reports or visible signs of bullying instead of waiting for incidents to go viral before authorities respond.
“Hindi po siya proactive, Mr. Chair. Kaya, suggestion siguro, kung may matanggap na po tayo na reklamo, may bulong, may sumbong, may tip, kumilos na po siguro (It is not proactive, Mr. Chair. So perhaps if we receive a complaint, a whisper, a report, a tip, we should already act),” he said.
Senator Raffy Tulfo also sounded alarm over recent bullying cases, including incidents that allegedly led to self-harm and suicide.
He proposed stricter enforcement of school anti-bullying policies, tougher penalties for schools that fail to act, installation of closed-circuit television cameras in classrooms and common areas, mandatory counseling and psychological support, teacher and parent training, stronger Good Manners and Right Conduct instruction, added school security, and an effective anonymous reporting system.
The hearing also highlighted a shortage of guidance counselors in public schools, which lawmakers said hampers efforts to investigate and address bullying cases promptly.
Department of Education officials, meanwhile, said teachers may already begin fact-finding and report cases to school heads even before a formal complaint is filed, while existing helplines may also receive anonymous reports from learners.
“The teacher themselves can already start yung (the) preliminary, well, fact-finding. And then, si (the) teacher can already report this to yung school head so that ma-actionan na po kami (they can take action),” DepEd Public-Private Partnership Office Director Razzel Anne Requesto said. (PNA)
