House bill seeks anti-bullying policies at workplace

MANILA, Philippines — For two members of the House of Representatives, anti-bullying policies should not only exist in schools but in workplaces as well.

With this in mind, Quezon City Rep. Ralph Tulfo and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo filed House Bill 8446, which seeks to institutionalize anti-bullying policies in government and private offices and business establishments.

They said in a statement that while Republic Act 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act has already been enacted, this covers only acts of bullying in elementary and secondary schools.

Office bullying, they noted, is commonly overlooked by many and considered part of the norm.

“This has become a systemic problem to many government and private offices in the country, with office bullying silently tormenting many Filipinos, often causing physical and mental distress,” they added.

According to Rep. Jocelyn, bullying is, oftentimes, normalized and tolerated “without regard to the victim’s mental health and possible emotional damage caused by the perpetrators.”

“This has long been an issue at work… but they are ignored even by the bosses themselves,” she said.

Labor group Federation of Free Workers (FFW) supported HB 8446, saying this would contribute to employees’ overall wellbeing.?Julius Cainglet, FFW vice president, said “the Anti-Bullying in the Workplace Bill, if passed into law would greatly help in improving the mental health of workers.”

Cainglet pointed out that mental health is an occupational safety and health issue that not too many take seriously. — Rhodina Villanueva