The school bully is still “alive and well” in public schools, still making the lives of victims miserable, 11 years after Republic Act No. 10627, known as the Anti-Bullying Law, was passed in 2013.
This is according to a series of studies presented during a meeting of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) which highlighted the findings of several studies on bullying in the Philippines conducted by researchers from De La Salle University (DLSU).
The alarming prevalence of bullying in public schools is shown by many studies and statistics, starting from the years after the law was passed.
“The number of reported bullying cases surged from 1,158 to 20,172 in five years or from 2013 to 2018 based on the data from DepEd.”
“The results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 showed that the Philippines had the highest percentage of bullying among all participating countries and territories (OECD, 2019),” said Dr. Allan B.I. Bernardo, a university fellow from DLSU, who led the other scholars in the studies.
In the PISA 2019 results, “65 percent of Filipino students reported being victims of any type of bullying at least a few times a month, with 40 percent being bullied frequently (once a week or more).”
“The PISA 2022 report states that one out of three Filipino students is being bullied in schools” and encountered bullying incidents multiple times a month.
What kind of environment encourages bullying incidents? The study showed that bullying is more prevalent in public schools with large class sizes, discriminatory teacher behavior, and lower levels of competition and discipline.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has established measures to prevent bullying. One is the Learner Rights and Protection Office (LRPO) which gathers data from the Learners TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline (LTCCH) where students, teachers, or parents can report concerns related to child safety and protection, including from bullying incidents.
The DepEd has set up a hotline to make reporting of bullying incidents more accessible so that those who are afraid to report to their school or division office can go directly to the central office through our hotlines.
Another measure is the Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in schools whose functions have been strengthened.
But even with these measures and the law, clearly more action is needed to prevent bullying as studies have shown the “alarming” prevalence of this unhealthy behavior.
Bullying affects the competency levels and academic performance of students, according to a recent PISA report. Health professionals have also warned that bullying affects the mental health of the victims, as well as their physical health especially when the bullying incidents are manifested through physical harm.
The term bullying refers to “any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression or a physical act or gesture, or any combination, thereof directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in a reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property,” according to DepEd Order No. 55.
A young bully is a threat to fellow students. A school environment where such behavior is not allowed can prevent a bully from developing into a neighborhood thug and become a threat to society years later.
DepEd needs to strengthen the measures to monitor – and punish – bullying to create a peaceful environment for children to learn and develop skills for a better life. And the community’s involvement is needed to boost the prevention measures, such conducting awareness campaigns on reporting a bully, and programs to instill self-confidence among potential victims and possible bullies.