MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights has called out Sen. Robinhood “Robin” Padilla for his remarks that suggested students can tolerate “slight” physical bullying compared to verbal or emotional insults.
In a statement Tuesday, the human rights body said bullying in whatever form or degree should not be allowed as it can harm a child’s development and well-being.
Related Stories
“CHR expresses concern over statements that tolerate any form of bullying. Whether physical or mental, regardless of perceived effect or lack thereof, bullying should never be condoned,” the commission said.
CHR also urged government officials holding positions of power to be “circumspect” in their statements that could downplay the severity of bullying and its effect on children, who are especially vulnerable to physical and emotional harm.
“As the country's independent national human rights institution and Ombudsman for Children, we continue to stress that bullying is not a simple issue that only the child and their family have to face. School officials, as well as the community at large, need to similarly take part in preventing, if not totally eliminating, instances of bullying,” the commission added.
In a Senate hearing on February 13 where lawmakers scrutinized the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act, Padilla quipped that children can "handle" physical bullying compared to mental bullying. He shared in Filipino that physical torture had helped him "deal with life” in adulthood.
Physical bullying, like other forms of bullying, can cause both short-term and long-term damage to children, some of whom don't report incidents to school officials out of fear or trauma.
Increasing number of bullying cases
The number of bullying cases has continued to increase every year despite the passage of a law against bullying in 2013. DepEd recorded the highest number of cases – 21,500 incidents – in SY 2018-2019.
However, the agency estimates the real figure could be much higher as DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said there is a “notable difficulty” in monitoring cases in schools.
Based on data from the Program for International Student Assessment in 2018, at least seven out of 10 students in public schools have experienced bullying, making the Philippines the country with the most number of bullying incidents among 70 countries.
The human rights body also reminded lawmakers of the country’s obligation to protect children as mandated in the 1987 Constitution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the latter of which the country ratified in 1990.
“Allowing any form and degree of bullying contravene these obligations for its long-term effects on the mental health, learning behavior, and overall development of children,” CHR added.