DepEd urged to amend implementing rules for law vs bullying
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education should amend the implementing rules and regulations of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 to address significant shortfalls in its implementation, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) said Tuesday, January 21.
EDCOM 2 — a three-year congressional body tasked with solving the country's education crisis — submitted its proposed revised IRR for Republic Act 10627 to DepEd on Tuesday in which schools will be compelled to take a more proactive approach to incidents of bullying.
Specifically, the proposed revisions aim to formalize the functions of DepEd's Learner Rights and Protection Office in overseeing anti-bullying efforts. It also requires schools to develop localized policies and submit detailed annual reports on bullying incidents.
The Anti-Bullying Act, signed in September 2013, requires all schools to adopt anti-bullying policies and establish clear procedures for reporting acts of bullying. It also requires victims to be given counseling services, while perpetrators are to undergo rehabilitation.
In practice, however, the shortage of guidance counselors has contributed to the uneven implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, according to EDCOM 2.
Even as some schools maintain child protection committees (CPCs), which are mandated to act as anti-bullying committees, these "often struggle to fulfill their functions effectively due to limited personnel and lack of resources."
EDCOM 2 has also found a "clear underreporting" of bullying incidents due to a system that rewards schools for reporting zero cases. This ends up discouraging "accurate reporting and hampering effective interventions," the commission said.
"DepEd has also noted that not all schools have clear student handbooks for discipline, and there is a lack of clarity and consistency in definitions and reportorial systems around bullying," it added.
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Yee noted the urgency of amending the law. "We want to ensure that every school or classroom is a safe space where every student can thrive without the fear of bullying and harassment," he said.
The revised IRR will help the government set "clear, actionable steps for schools in combating bullying," said Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, EDCOM 2 co-chairperson and Senate basic education panel chair.
"It's imperative that our schools not only adopt these updated anti-bullying policies but also make sure that they are properly implemented and monitored," he added.
To address the shortage of guidance counselors, EDCOM 2 proposed integrating guidance designates and school counselor associates, particularly in leading anti-bullying initiatives. Schools will also be required to designate discipline officers to handle reporting, investigations, and interventions.
"Ensuring the effectiveness of our anti-bullying policies requires more than just drafting rules. It also demands diligent enforcement and active involvement from every school staff member," said Rep. Roman Romulo, EDCOM 2 co-chairperson. He chairs the House basic education panel.
Half of male students bullied monthly
Data shows the severity of bullying in Philippine schools, with PISA 2022 results showing 43% of Filipino girls and 53% of boys experience bullying at least a few times monthly — far exceeding OECD averages of 20% and 21%.
The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics also reported that 63.2% of Grade 5 students face bullying at least once a month.
DepEd data shown before the Senate basic education committee in 2023 showed that bullying incidents have increased almost every year since 2014 despite the passage of the Anti-Bullying Act in September 2013.
In particular, SY 2018-2019 tallied 21,500 incidents – the highest in a single school year since 2014. Cases dropped to 11,000 in SY 2019-2020 after the pandemic disrupted the last quarter of the school year.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said then that the true number of bullying cases could be much higher than reported due to schools' difficulty monitoring incidents without a guidance counselor.
While bullying affects students in mainstream schools, data also shows children with disabilities are two to four times more likely to be bullied at school than their non-disabled peers, according to a 2021 UNESCO report that studied school violence in different countries.
A DepEd order in 2021 noted learners with disabilities were "more vulnerable to bullying, child abuse and other forms of violence against children."
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