a day ago
Schools urged to report bullying cases by CWC
The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) on Monday urged schools to report bullying cases to authorities as the implementing rules and regulations of the Anti-Bullying Act mandates educational institutions to respond promptly on such cases.
'Hindi po lingid sa kaalaman natin, and I think the MAKABATA Helpline also received a couple of reports of schools seemingly sweeping cases under the rug, so to speak. Hindi po nila gustong simulan siguro o inaayos, pero dito po sa bagong implementing rules and regulations na ito, they are required really to take in cases and to respond and to process iyong mga reports po sa kanila,' said CWC executive director Angelo Tapales in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.
(It's no secret to us, and I think the MAKABATA Helpline also received a couple of reports of schools seemingly sweeping cases under the rug, so to speak. They probably didn't want to initiate or address these, but with these new implementing rules and regulations, they are really required to take on cases and to respond to and process the reports made to them.)
The agency pointed out that hiding bullying cases wouldn't mean a positive image for the school.
'.... Zero reporting doesn't mean positive performance of school. So, iyong mga ibang schools, at kaunti lang naman iyan, hindi naman lagi at maraming sumusunod naman talaga eskuwelahan, do not sweep it under the rag because it doesn't follow that because a school receives zero reports that the school is really performing well,' he added.
(... Zero reporting doesn't mean positive performance for a school. So, for some schools—and there are only a few of them, most schools do follow regulations—do not sweep it under the rug, because it doesn't follow that just because a school receives zero reports, that the school is really performing well.)
The CWC official warned that it will report to the Department of Education (DepEd) the schools that will not comply with the anti-bullying law's implementing rules and regulations.
'And, of course, sa part naman po ng Council for the Welfare of Children, if we receive reports through the MAKABATA Helpline 1383, that public and private schools are not really responding properly to bullying and complying with the implementing rules and regulations, we will, of course, report you to DepEd for proper action and investigation po,' said Tapales.
(And, of course, on the part of the Council for the Welfare of Children, if we receive reports through the MAKABATA Helpline 1383 that public and private schools are not properly responding to bullying and complying with the implementing rules and regulations, we will, of course, report you to DepEd for proper action and investigation.)
The CWC and the DepEd earlier signed a memorandum of understanding linking CWC's MAKABATA Helpline 1383 to DepEd's hotline.
'Kasi gusto nating mas tutukan pa lahat ng forms ng violence against children sa eskuwelahan lalung-lalo na iyong bullying,' said Tapales.
(This is because we want to focus more on all forms of violence against children in schools, especially bullying.)
Last January, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) sounded the alarm regarding bullying cases among students despite the existing policies and efforts to protect them and to address bullying incidents.
Citing the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the commission noted that 65% of Grade 10 students in the Philippines experienced bullying a 'few times' a month, which was the highest among all participating countries.
In the 2022 PISA, there was a slight decline in reports, but it was emphasized that one in three students still faced weekly bullying.
The resolution of bullying cases in the Philippines seemingly 'moved at a glacial pace,' with only 38 out of 339 (11%) of the reported cases getting resolved between November 2022 and July 2024, based on data by the DepEd Learner Rights and Protection Office. — RF, GMA Integrated News
