Senator Paolo "Bam" Aquino IV stressed on Monday, March 16 the need for better and immediate reporting of bullying cases in schools amid data showing underreporting, with zero cases being cited for good performance.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) showed that bullying cases are underreported as the Department of Education (DepEd) faces a severe lack of guidance counselors in public schools.

In addition, in the past, schools have historically underreported incidents because monitoring and evaluation processes rewarded "zero cases" as a sign of good performance.

"Yung pagbibigay ng penalty sa mga bully, tatlo yan di ba? Reprimand, suspension, expulsion. Kung underreported yan, wala ring penalty sa mga nambubully. Pag di siya nirereport, di siya magkaka-consequence (If bullying is penalized, there are three possible sanctions, right? Reprimand, suspension, and expulsion. If cases are underreported, then the bullies also face no penalty. If it isn’t reported, there will be no consequences for them)," Aquino, who chairs the panel said.

"'Pag di siya nirereport, di ka pwede magbigay ng penalty or consequence, di matitigil...Ang worry ko is yung mga nambubully wala talaga silang nakikitang consequence sa ginagawa nila (If it isn’t reported, you can’t impose any penalty or consequence, so it won’t stop...My concern is that the bullies end up seeing no real consequences for what they’re doing)," he added.

Since DepEd has been encouraging the reporting of bullying through a new department order, Atty. Razzel Requesto, Officer-in-Charge of DepEd’s Bureau of Learner Support Services-Youth Formation Division, said that for the past five months, they have seen the increasing trend of reporting cases of bullying.

Aquino said the prevalence of bullying has earned the country the “Bullying Capital of the World” tag.

According to the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), he said about 50 percent of Grade 5 students in the Philippines experienced bullying at least once a month as of 2024.

Meanwhile, data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that one in three Filipino students report experiencing bullying in school, with about 43 percent of girls and 53 percent of boys reporting repeated incidents within a month.

Aquino also cited findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM), which link bullying to lower literacy levels, poorer academic performance, and higher rates of absenteeism—all of which can lead to lasting trauma among students.

In the hearing, a bullying incident Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, was brought up since its video showing the bullying of a female student has gone viral on social media. The incident reportedly happened during their lunch break when another student pushed her and struck her with a backpack.

In the video, the victim was kicked and punched in the head until the child was left crying.

According to the Department of Education Region 1, they are now studying the possible filing of administrative cases against the school head and the teachers at the school.

“Ang isa pong naging problema dito ay ito na nga yung unreported. We knew it only after I think three days. So three days na pong nangyari ito bago pa nag-viral. And our field offices have been aware about it only after it became viral on social media (One of the problems here is that the incident was unreported. We only learned about it after, I think, three days. So it had already happened three days before it went viral. Our field offices only became aware of it after it spread on social media),” Aquino said.

“And we are also looking at the negligence of the school head because the actual event took place during class hours,” the regional director added, saying their policy states that a bullying case should be reported at least three hours after discovery.

Senator Erwin Tulfo reminded DepEd as well as schools and authorities such as the police, local social welfare and development office to stop reactionary measures and be proactive in curbing bullying in school.

Senator emphasized that bullying incidents continue because the measures are reactionary and not proactive.

“That’s our problem, we are reactionary. What do you do when you find out that a child has been bullied in a certain school? Do you call the parents? We rely on you to implement the law, execute it, but what’s happening?” Tulfo asked.

“Why don’t you immediately call the parents to inform them? That’s what is being done in other countries—they immediately call the attention of the parents of the bully and the bullied to warn them of the penalties,” the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development Chairman added.

The neophyte lawmaker likewise pointed out that in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Bullying Law, a complaint is necessary before investigation of the bullying incident.

Requesto clarified that there is an IRR provision which recognizes reports from bystanders. She also pointed out that a teacher may intervene and “can already start preliminary, well, fact-finding” steps.

“Our aim is simple yet very important: every school should be a safe space for every Filipino child,” the senator, explaining his full support for the need to revisit RA 10627.

On the other hand, Senator Raffy Tulfo made recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.

This includes stricter penalties for schools that failed to act, installation of CCTV Cameras in Schools, mandatory trainings and seminars for teachers and parents with online options for OFW parents, mandatory Counseling and Psychological Support, strengthening Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC), increased security in schools through the establishment of a Memorandum of Agreement between DepEd and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for roving police officers around school premises and lastly, effective anonymous reporting system.