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More Students Are Getting Bullied — DepEd Now Cracks Down on Schools

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The Department of Education (DepEd) is now taking bullying more seriously after a rise in cases, especially those involving physical fights and online bullying.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that many schools still do not follow the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, even though it’s been a law for more than 10 years.

One big problem is that many schools still don’t have anti-bullying committees, even though it’s required by law. These school committees are supposed to help students, act on bullying reports, and alert social workers or police if needed.




Not All Schools Are Following the Law

There are over 45,000 schools in the Philippines, but only about 900 public schools were found to have working anti-bullying committees, according to a recent DepEd review. That means most schools are not following the law.

Angara said the department is now focusing on making sure every school sets up its own anti-bullying team.


What the Law Says

Under the Anti-Bullying Act, every public and private school must have a Child Protection Committee made up of teachers, parents, students, and community leaders.
This team must:



  • Create rules to prevent bullying
  • Act quickly when bullying is reported
  • Watch for students who may be silently suffering
  • Work with police and social workers if needed

If a school doesn’t follow these rules, it may face penalties, but it’s unclear how often DepEd has enforced them in the past.


Default Policy for Non-Compliant Schools

To fix the issue, DepEd now has a “default” anti-bullying policy.
If a school does not create its own rules or committee, this default policy will automatically apply. That way, every school will have some form of protection, even if it failed to act.


Why This Matters

A lot of Filipino students are getting bullied. In one study, nearly half of 15-year-old students said they get bullied a few times a month.



  • 53% of boys and 43% of girls reported being bullied.
  • That’s double the global average.
  • Another report showed that 63% of Grade 5 students also experienced bullying regularly.

One reason many cases go unnoticed is the lack of guidance counselors in schools. DepEd says hiring more trained counselors is also part of the plan.


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