Department of Education Central office in Pasig City 鈥擣ile photo by Ni帽o Jesus Orbeta/Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Department of Education (DepEd) has convened its largest executive committee meeting yet on the 鈥渁larming rise鈥� of student bullying nationwide, with the stakeholders agreeing on at least two immediate measures: Enhanced police visibility and more security cameras near campuses.
The Philippine National Police committed to 鈥渋ntervene in bullying cases involving legal violations,鈥� DepEd said in a statement on Tuesday.
But the agency clarified that any police involvement will still observe 鈥渟trict adherence鈥� to DepEd policies on data privacy and on campuses being 鈥渮ones of peace.鈥�
DepEd Sec. Sonny Angara called the meeting in response to a surge in reported bullying incidents, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR), where around 2,500 cases were recorded in School Year 2024-2025, up from 2,268 the previous academic year.
READ: DepEd: Only 966 out of 45,000 schools in PH have panel vs bullying
A report by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) published in January noted that antibullying measures remained 鈥渦neven鈥� despite the enactment of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, requiring a new set of implementing rules and regulations.
Citing 2022 data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, Edcom 2 said at least 43 percent of girls and 53 percent of boys in the Philippines reported being victims of bullying 鈥渁t least a few times a month.鈥�
During the meeting, Angara said bullying must be addressed not just in schools but also in homes and communities 鈥渨here our learners come from.鈥�
Apart from increasing police visibility, the Department of the Interior and Local Government proposed the activation of the Comprehensive Barangay Juvenile Intervention Program.
DepEd would also like to see more barangay tanod (village watchmen) being posted in school zones. 鈥�Dempsey Reyes