Education Sec leads effort to combat 2,500 Metro Manila school bullying cases

The number of bullying cases in Metro Manila schools increased to around 2,500 during the academic year 2024-2025, up from 2,268 cases last year.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara led a large executive committee meeting involving government agencies and civil society organizations on April 14 to address the national priority of bullying in schools.

Angara emphasized that combating bullying requires collaboration between schools, households, and communities, stressing it is not just a school matter but a national priority demanding a whole-of-government, whole-of-society response.

The Philippine National Police will be deployed around large 'high-risk' schools to ensure security, while DepEd has approved the installation of CCTV cameras outside these schools, adhering to its policy on data privacy and keeping schools as 'zones of peace'.

Experts from the University of the Philippines College of Education and Ateneo de Manila University are collaborating with DepEd to enhance its Values Education and Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) curriculum, including socio-emotional learning, emotional regulation, and conflict management.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is committed to investigating reports of bullying through its field offices and establishing a 'Parent Effectiveness Office' to educate families and address root causes such as domestic problems that may influence learner behavior.

To further enhance students' safety against bullying, the DepEd is drafting a Default Policy on School Safety and Security covering guidelines for incident reporting, sanctions, psychological first aid, and financial assistance for victims of school-related incidents.