Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has urged parents and guardians to take an active role in preventing school violence by closely monitoring their children and maintaining regular communication with school authorities, saying learner protection must begin at home and extend beyond the classroom.

“Hindi natin kayang solusyunan ang karahasan sa mga paaralan kung sa loob lang ng classroom tayo kumikilos. Ang tahanan ang ating unang depensa (We cannot address violence in schools if we act only inside the classroom. The home is our first line of defense),” he said in a statement released on Monday, Aug. 31.

The DepEd chief encouraged families to talk to their children daily, listen to their concerns, and coordinate with teachers and school officials.

“Kausapin natin ang ating mga anak araw-araw, pakinggan natin ang kanilang mga pinagdaraanan, at makipag-ugnayan tayo sa kanilang mga guro at paaralan. Kailangan nating matutunang mapansin ang mga red flags at pagbabago sa kilos ng bata bago pa man umabot sa pananakit o bullying. Ipadama natin sa kanila na hindi sila nag-iisa (Let us talk to our children every day, listen to what they are going through, and coordinate with their teachers and schools. We must learn to recognize red flags and changes in a child’s behavior before these lead to violence or bullying. Let us make them feel that they are not alone),” he said.

To strengthen parents’ participation in learner protection, DepEd said it is expanding its Kaagapay Program under DepEd Memorandum No. 002, series of 2026, and integrating it with the Parent Effectiveness Service (PES) Program under Republic Act No. 11908.

The agency said the Kaagapay Program provides parent communities with practical tools through capacity-building sessions intended to help them identify warning signs, manage behavioral concerns, and coordinate directly with school Child Protection Committees and guidance personnel.

Also, DepEd said it is working with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to harmonize the PES modules with the Kaagapay Program.

The partnership seeks to facilitate the full-scale implementation of the programs and address factors linked to violence, including mental health struggles and online safety risks.

From July to November, the education department said it is also rolling out its program on Strengthening Collaboration of Parents and Teachers on Learner Protection in the Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol Region.

The initiative uses session guides developed by the DepEd Bureau of Learner Support Services-Learner Rights and Protection Division in partnership with ChildFund Philippines, Stairway Foundation Inc., and Meta Philippines.

The training sessions cover online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, child sexual abuse and exploitation material, bullying and cyberbullying prevention, nihilistic violent extremism, parenting approaches, technology-based protective tools, and reporting and referral procedures.

Trained regional and division Learner Rights and Protection personnel and education program specialists in values education are expected to lead the training of facilitators at the division and school levels.

At the school level, DepEd said it is coordinating with Parent-Teacher Associations and School Governing Councils to incorporate parent education into existing learner protection measures and strengthen partnerships between homes and schools.

“Shared accountability ang pagprotekta sa ating mga mag-aaral. Sa pagtutulungan ng paaralan, magulang, at komunidad, masisiguro natin na ligtas, nababantayan, at may nagmamahal sa bawat batang Pilipino (Protecting our learners is a shared responsibility. Through the cooperation of schools, parents, and communities, we can ensure that every Filipino child is safe, protected, and loved),” Angara said.