Malacañang addresses school bullying, Gatchalian calls for action

Malacañang assured the public that it is addressing recent cases of school bullying following Senator Sherwin Gatchalian's call for action on Monday, April 14.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the government has taken immediate steps in response to the President's directive and provided assistance through social workers and investigations by DepEd.

Castro highlighted interventions from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd), emphasizing their work with schools mentioned in recent bullying cases, particularly those involving student deaths.

Data from DepEd revealed that only 966 public schools have fully functioning child protection committees to address bullying, which is a small number compared to over 45,000 public schools nationwide.

Republic Act No. 10627 mandates these committees to handle school bullying cases, but the lack of functional CPCs in most schools raises concerns about addressing and preventing bullying effectively.