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Neil Jayson Servallos - The Philippine Star
March 17, 2026 | 12:00am
High school students are seen waiting in line, catching up with their friends and classmates and enjoying their time in front of the Marikina High School in Marikina City after two years of online classes on November 2, 2022.
The STAR / Walter Bollozos
MANILA, Philippines — Senators criticized yesterday the Department of Education (DepEd) and public schools for responding to bullying incidents only after videos of the attacks go viral on social media.
During a Senate committee on basic education hearing on rising bullying cases nationwide, lawmakers scrutinized a Feb. 18 school violence incident in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur.
A video of the attack that circulated online showed a female student repeatedly shoved, struck with a backpack, punched and kicked in the head by a classmate inside a classroom during lunch break.
DepEd Region 1 director Tolentino Aquino admitted to the panel that the school administration failed to promptly report the incident, revealing a lapse in reporting protocols.
“In this particular case, one of the problems was that it went unreported. We only learned about it after three days,” Aquino said in Filipino.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo also raised concerns about a potential flaw in the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Bullying Act.
He pointed to Section 12, arguing that it discourages proactive intervention by requiring a formal complaint from the victim before an investigation can begin.
Committee chair Sen. Bam Aquino also asked the DepEd whether teachers are bound by red tape if they witness an attack firsthand.
“If a teacher sees it, can the teacher act on it immediately, or does the teacher have to wait for a student or parent to file a complaint?” Aquino asked.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo, meanwhile, raised concern over the increase in bullying cases, some of which have reportedly led to suicide, despite the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.
He cited the case of a student with disability who died after jumping from the fourth floor of a high school in Metro Manila, allegedly due to bullying.
“Instead of helping, the law has coincided with an increase in bullying incidents. We are utterly failing. What is the Department of Education doing? Where is the law falling short?” he asked.
Lawmakers noted that Congress has held several hearings on bullying in recent years, but institutions continue to struggle to deter violence in schools.
The Philippines was identified by the Program for International Student Assessment as having the highest incidence of bullying among surveyed countries in both the 2018 and 2022 assessments.
