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What is bullying? ‘Outdated’ definition in Philippines poses problems

MANILA, Philippines – The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) raised concerns over the “outdated” definition of bullying in the country, noting that teachers are struggling to effectively address the issue in schools.

“The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 is outdated and not responsive to school-level realities. Teachers have lamented difficulties due to its outdated definition of bullying, the lack or inconsistency of localized anti-bullying policies, and the insufficiency of funding,” said EDCOM 2 in its Year Two Report released on Monday, January 27.

Majority of reported cases involve physical bullying, but EDCOM 2 pointed out that bullying takes various forms. Cyberbullying, for instance, was not as common more than a decade ago when the law against bullying was passed.

“The IRR narrowly defines bullying as repeated acts, focusing on traditional forms such as physical and verbal bullying. It lacks provisions for modern challenges, such as cyberbullying, indirect bullying (e.g., gossip or veiled remarks), and emerging forms of peer pressure. The absence of a comprehensive definition constrains schools from implementing comprehensive interventions,” the commission said.

In a Rappler Talk interview on Tuesday, January 28, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Yee said that in most cases, teachers find it hard to determine what constitutes bullying.

“Dapat din lahat ng school may localized anti-bullying policy na malinaw kung ano ‘yung iba’t ibang forms ng bullying and ano ‘yung mga sanctions related to it. Kasi ang sabi ng teachers, ‘Sir, hindi namin alam, bullying na ba ‘yun?'” Yee said.

(There should also be a localized anti-bullying policy in every school that clearly defines the different forms of bullying and the related sanctions. Because teachers are saying, “Sir, we don’t know, is that already bullying?”)

“Hindi kasi malinaw sa policy. Baka naman nagkulitan lang — what is bullying and what is no longer bullying? Kasi hindi daw sila nate-train,” he added. (It’s not clear in the policy. Maybe students were just playfully teasing each other — what counts as bullying and what is no longer bullying? Because teachers said they haven’t been trained.)

The Philippines has been dubbed the “bullying capital of the world” due to the high prevalence of reported cases of bullying in schools.

Citing the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), EDCOM 2 noted that 65% of Grade 10 students in the Philippines “experienced bullying a few times a month — the highest among all participating countries.” This is the same assessment that ranked the Philippines last in reading comprehension among 79 countries, and placed it in the low 70s in mathematics and science.

“Meanwhile, resolution of bullying cases moved at a glacial pace, with only 38 out of 339 cases resolved (11%) between November 2022 and July 2024,” the commission said.

Lack of personnel

EDCOM 2 also noted the shortage of principals and guidance counselors in many public schools exacerbates the problem, as it prevents the formation of anti-bullying committees, which are typically composed of these key personnel.

The commission reported that 24,916 public schools in the country lack principals, while there are only about 2,000 guidance counselors available to serve roughly 28 million students.

Yee explained that due to the lack of personnel, schools often assign one teacher to take on the role of guidance counselor in addition to their regular teaching duties.

Regardless of the school size, meaning ang school mo na may 1,000 ang estudyante, isa lang ‘yung dinesignate (Regardless of the school size, meaning even if your school has 1,000 students, only one teacher is designated for the role of guidance counselor). How will you do that work on top of your teaching and all of your other responsibilities?” Yee asked.

A week before the release of the Year Two Report, EDCOM 2 submitted its proposed revised IRR for the Anti-Bullying Act to the Department of Education.

The new IRR aims to provide a “more effective and proactive measure to combat bullying in schools, addressing significant shortfalls in the current implementation and introducing comprehensive updates to better protect students.”

In its proposal, EDCOM 2 cited 2022 PISA data showing that 43% of girls and 53% of boys in the Philippines reported being victims of bullying acts at least a few times a month, a rate significantly higher than member-countries’ averages of 20% for girls and 21% for boys.

Yee also emphasized the importance of addressing bullying as a response to the learning crisis. He noted that when students are bullied, they often skip classes, which ultimately impacts their academic performance.

“Instead of focusing on their studies, they can’t concentrate. They don’t want to go to school anymore because they’re embarrassed, they’re hurt, whether physically or verbally. And they really lose their concentration,” Yee said in a mix of Filipino and English.

You can access the full Year Two Report here– Rappler.com

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