DepEd chief gets tough vs bullying

Alarmed by studies showing the Philippines as the “bullying capital” of the world and that Filipino youth are among the loneliest, Education Secretary Sonny Angara wants closer monitoring of schools’ anti-bullying policy.

- HELEN FLORES

The issue on bullying was tackled during President Marcos’ meeting with the education sector at Malacañang yesterday.

Angara said Marcos cited a Singapore study that showed that the Filipino youth are among the world’s loneliest. The President was apparently referring to a recent Meta-Gallup report that showed that the country’s Generation Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – are the world’s second loneliest and the most lonesome in Southeast Asia.

Gen Z is also the first generation to have fully grown up in the world of smartphones and social media, according to the report.

“Each school is required to have an anti-bullying policy, but the law did not say how strict they have to be,” Angara said, referring to the AntiBullying Act of 2013.

He was one of the authors of the law.

The education chief noted that very few schools have an anti-bullying policy.

“So, on the part of the DepEd (Department of Education), we will really track or monitor the compliance with the law,” he said.

He added that there was a time when cases of bullying rose to 20,000.

Second Congressional Commission on Education II executive director Karol Mark Yee, who joined Angara at the briefing, said bullying also affects students’ academic performance.

The Philippines was also ranked in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) as the bullying capital of the world, according to Yee.

“The one doing this job based on the Anti-Bullying Act, as implemented, is the guidance counsellor. But the vacancies in the DepEd is almost 5,000 plantilla positions,” he noted.

He said the position requires a master’s degree, but no schools are currently offering such a degree in the country.

“To fill all of the vacancies, it will take us 14 years by the current setup,” he added.