By: Ron Mendoza and Dexter Ocampo
These were the words of Education Secretary Sonny Angara during the signing of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Act.
His message paints a vision of a school community that stops cruelty at its roots—one where empathy is the norm and bullying is prevented long before it ever has the chance to wound young dreamers.
Bullying remains a deeply entrenched challenge in education, with roughly one in three learners worldwide experiencing peer harassment—an issue that often leaves lasting scars on academic performance, mental health, and overall wellbeing (UNESCO, 2019).
In the Philippines, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 results paint an alarming picture: 65 percent of 15-year-old students reported being bullied a few times a month, and one in three experienced it weekly.
Stopping bullying at its roots
Where does the department go from here, and what steps is it taking to stem the tide of bullying? DepEd’s systematic approach is anchored on three main pillars:
At Concepcion Elementary School in Marikina City, learners, teachers, and parents attend orientations, while teachers track students to detect early signs of bullying.)An Anti-Bullying Committee oversees these initiatives, complemented by child-friendly materials posted around campus.
Batasan National High School in Quezon City brings campaigns to life through initiatives like “Be a Buddy, Be Cybersafe” and “No Bullying sa Batasan,” led by the ABC Club, where students help foster a zero-bullying environment. The school has also strengthened student-led efforts against online bullying by forming group chats where student leaders share incidents and respond quickly by reporting them to platform regulators.
At Maguikay National High School in Cebu, initiatives like Wear Blue for Respect Day, immersive role-playing activities, and social media kindness challenges—each inviting students to see, feel, and practice empathy.
Meanwhile, Bagong Silang High School’s BAD ‘Yan organization in Caloocan turns intention into action through a commitment wall, where students write, claim, and live out respect.
Under Secretary Angara’s leadership, this commitment is reflected in the 2025 revised IRR of the Anti-Bullying Act, which shifts from reactive discipline to a proactive, system-based, learner-centered approach.
Bullying is addressed in its full complexity—from subtle non-physical acts to precursor behaviors and recurring patterns that, if left unchecked, can escalate into harm. By fostering school communities grounded in empathy, inclusion, and collective action, DepEd aims to replace bullying with a culture of safe learning and responsible citizenship.
Interventions now also integrate mental health and psychosocial support, recognizing that both victims and offenders need guidance, restoration, and growth.
This commitment is reinforced by stronger Child Protection Committees, ensuring policies are not only in place but actively implemented. It is further supported by a significant increase in DepEd’s 2026 budget, which includes hiring 10,000 School Counselor Associate I positions to expand access to guidance services.
Beyond behavior, DepEd is addressing underlying conditions. Studies show that overcrowded classrooms are linked to higher levels of peer violence (Hallaq, 2024).
To address this, efforts to decongest classrooms are underway, including partnerships with local governments and public-private initiatives such as the Public School Infrastructure Program (PSIP).
Each Regional Office is tasked with creating a helpline that responds to the unique needs of its learners, carefully adapted to the geographic realities and challenges of the region. It also listens to learners who may not be personally affected but have witnessed bullying, giving their voices weight and ensuring that every concern is acknowledged and acted upon.
Building on this commitment, and in the spirit of sharing evidence on “what works” in September 2025, DepEd held its first-ever Anti-Bullying Summit in partnership with the Ateneo de Manila University Grade School.
The summit brought together educators, administrators, and education leaders from public and private schools, as well as representatives from non-government organizations, to share insights and highlight innovative approaches to preventing bullying.
From national policy to classroom initiatives
The emerging “good practices” included some of the public school innovations mentioned earlier, as well as innovations by private schools such as those of Multiple Intelligence International School to inculcate empathy among learners, and efforts by Creative Learning Paths School to make “peace education” central in the curriculum.
These efforts underscore the basic tenet that “you cannot teach and share what you do not know or have”, suggesting that empathy must thrive in the community if the next generation is to learn effectively and absorb these values.
DepEd’s approach to bullying is clear: it acts before bullying occurs. From national policies to classroom initiatives, from expanding guidance services to creating helplines, the department anticipates challenges, and with a systematic lens, addresses them head-on.
In close collaboration with teachers, parents and education stakeholders, DepEd works to shape safer, kinder, and more compassionate learning communities for every learner.
Ron Mendoza is the Education Undersecretary for Strategic Management, while Dexter Ocampo is a policy specialist at the Department of Education.
