DepEd Intensifies Anti-Bullying Measures in Schools, Angara Assures Lawmakers

Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday assured lawmakers that the Department of Education (DepEd) is intensifying efforts to curb bullying and violence in schools amid growing concerns over student safety. During the House committee on appropriations’ deliberation on DepEd’s proposed P975.96-billion budget for 2027, Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña raised the issue of bullying and asked about the department’s measures to protect students. “What is the DepEd’s plan to prevent bullying and violence within our schools?” Cendaña said. “We have a lot of programs and we’re looking at the full implementation of the revised Anti-Bullying law. And we’ve seen functioning Child Protection Committees, which is a requirement of the Anti-Bullying law,” Angara answered. More than 36,000 schools now have functioning Child Protection Committees, according to the secretary. The department is also accelerating the hiring of school counselor associates under the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act. The hiring process, which normally takes three to four months, has been reduced to 30 days. Beyond school-based interventions, DepEd is also seeking support from parents and the wider community, with the education secretary noting that bullying can have complex causes rooted partly in the home. “Because as we all know, the origins of bullying are quite complex and many have origins in the household,” Angara said. Meanwhile, a Grade 8 student was injured after being stabbed by an older schoolmate during an altercation at the Buayan National High School in Barangay Buayan, General Santos City yesterday morning. The 15-year-old victim was stabbed in the neck and abdomen and was immediately brought to a hospital by school teachers and barangay officials for treatment. School officials said the 18-year-old Grade 11 student was subdued by security guards and teachers before being turned over to personnel of the General Santos City Police Office who responded to the incident. Classmates told investigators that the two students had a misunderstanding, which led to the stabbing. The General Santos City government dispatched social workers and psychologists to separately assist the injured Grade 8 student and help monitor the older student, who is now in the joint custody of school teachers and police. Meanwhile, classes in several areas remained suspended on Monday amid rains and flooding brought by the southwest monsoon. In San Simon, Pampanga, classes at all levels in public and private schools were suspended from Sept. 7 to 11, except at Concepcion Integrated School. In Santo Tomas, Pampanga, face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools were suspended from Sept. 7 to 12. In Masantol, classes shifted to alternative learning mode until Sept. 8. Classes at all levels in public and private schools in Calumpit, Bulacan were also suspended on Monday. In Lingayen, Pangasinan, face-to-face classes in public and private schools were suspended on Monday. In Batangas, in-person classes were suspended in Balayan, Calatagan, Lemery, Lian, Nasugbu and Tuy. – John Unson