By Emmannuel Canto
Bullying is not new to all of us. When I was in grade school, it was already happening.
Bullying is not confined solely in schools, but it is also happening in different organizations, even in government and private institutions. Bullying is happening even at the highest echelon of our society.
However, the law is specifically interested in eradicating and totally curbing bullying on our school campuses. Good to note that Bacolod City Councilor Atty. Caesar Distrito is calling for the strict implementation of an anti-bullying ordinance especially in schools. He added that violence in schools is only spreading when there is no protocol being implemented.
Bullying manifests itself in a bunch of ways, including physical violence, verbal harassment, social exclusion, cyberbullying, but the worst is the psychological aspect as a result of bullying. The mental health of bullying victims, particularly the young, is the biggest issue that needs the outright attention of our government. The support of the national government is essential in eradicating bullying issues in our schools.
What happened in Tacloban is a wake-up call for our government to ensure the safety of our children and teachers in schools. Most often than not, the victim suffers in silence through traumatized experiences, considering he or she has had no one to depend on, as if this is normal, which is very dangerous specifically for the children.
Mental health issues will affect the mental faculties and growth of our children, which are detrimental to their future. Parents have responsibility and must take precautionary measures and respond accordingly. Hence, discipline must be inculcated in the minds of the children first and foremost at home.
The anti-bullying law is a good law, but in the implementation of this law, the government, by all means, must support the complainants, assist the aggrieved party, even at the police level. The government must ensure that the hands of the government can be seen supporting the aggrieved party, whoever is the culprit. But what if bullying is within the confines of our homes? What if the bully is a family member, but, in reality, it is one of the evils of our society? Instead of protecting the siblings, they turn a blind eye to the reality at hand. Hence, we can say that these people have psychological and mental issues. Again, it is incumbent upon our legislators to revisit our laws and amend them accordingly.
The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the anti-bullying act is the bible for the implementation. This is a very important matter for a safe and humane environment for every Filipino child. This is upon the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. for his Bagong Pilipinas branding. If we can remember, history would tell us that when PBBM was still a senator, he was the principal sponsor of this law. By heart, the president is serious about bullying in any form and size.
Back to anti-bullying law, all schools are mandated to implement the standard anti-bullying policy.
The schools must be safe and free from harm and bullying. The new IRR was published in the Official Gazette and a copy of which was given to all school divisions in the entire country.
The new IRR ensures a clear mandate and has a standard policy that needs to be implemented by all public and private schools, including community learning centers operated by the Department of Education (DepEd) in the entire country, even abroad.
How about learning institutions operating online? Is this allowed and accredited by the department under the leadership of Education Secretary Sonny Angara? Online schools have been operating in this country even before the pandemic. I am a little bit worried about how this affects the mental health of children, considering their social life is zero. Mr. Secretary, they cannot physically interact with their peers just like they do in face-to-face classes.
In a long line of cases decided by the Supreme Court, children’s welfare is the paramount consideration. It also gives importance to their mental health. During the pandemic days, when our children couldn’t attend face-to-face classes, they were confined inside their homes and were given modules as alternative learning. However, psychologists said that the arrangement had affected their mental faculties because they have no social life and cannot interact physically with their peers.
Parents are willing to enroll their children in online schools for whatever reason, despite having we have returned to the new normal. May I ask DepEd and the Department of Social Welfare and Development if this setup could affect a child’s development? Is it allowed under the circumstances? Somehow, there must be an amendment to our laws that would protect the psychological aspect of our children, and we will not be beholden to the whims and caprises of their parents. Can this be considered as psychological bullying under the circumstances?
Again, laws uphold the basic rights of our children so that they will become good citizens of this country. Their social life is under threat. They are confined in the four corners of their abode without interacting with their peers if they are in a regular school. Since time immemorial, children have been used to attending face-to-face classes. The DepEd must take a second look at this kind of learning method. The best interest of the child must be taken into consideration by the department in granting accreditation to these online schools, and why DepEd allows this kind of teaching.
This is a single voice in the wilderness, but this is happening. Children are suffering, and they can do nothing because their parents allowed this kind of setup for their own comfort and benefit but probably to the detriment of their children. A selfish act worth criticizing.
Secretary Angara and Bagong Pilipinas, can you revisit the online method of teaching? We are not in a pandemic anymore./WDJ