Bullying has been a silent menace that has plaque many children for a long time, but with the Anti- Bullying Act signed into the law by former President Benigno Aquino III, schools nationwide are non empowered to fight bullying and are given clear picture on how to curb the early onset of the culture of violence among children.
Almost everyone who attended school has a tale of their own playground nemesis, and all will affirm that the danger and trauma bullying brings is unbearable. It can be enough to disrupt a child’s life, turn a students’ harm often lasting into adulthood.
Worse, it can drive one to commit suicide. So far, reports of “bullyside” have only been heard in foreign countries such as United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and other advanced countries. However the statistics of bullying in the country today are alarming. A study of Plan International and UNICEF on violence against children in Public Schools in the Philippines in 2009 revealed that four out of ten children in grades 1 to 3 and 7 out of 10 in both grades 4 to 6 and high school have experienced some kind of violence in school . And the numbers are still increasing today . It is good that Senador Edgardo Angara and other principal authors of the bill legislated a law that will stamp out bullying in schools . Atleast for now, we are assured that the police will never receive reports of teenagers hangging themselves in their bedrooms in attempts to escape their tormentors.
Angara said that educating the Filipino learners means giving them all the tools they need to succeed, from simple things to the more complicated peace of mind that comes with knowing that the school stands with them against bullying, and this is what the law emphasized, that schools, as the second home of the children should be their strongest ally against any forms of abuse, both from their peers and even from their teachers.
While the laws empowers schools to respond in the occurrence of bullying and to take measures to rehabilitate the bullies, their fact that this is a community problem entails community support, even peers who are only typically involved on bystanders have also a share in making the law work. When peers support the targeted child or express disapproval of the bullying child, bullying usually subsides. But they just only share a little piece of pie. The greatest support mechanism to make this law work are the parents who have immediate supervision of their children.
Childhood bullying expert Cherie Benjoseph asserts that bullying is a parental-control issue and that taking responsibility for young ones is a full-time parental guidance system that cannot be governed by laws, she added that as the schools creates a child- friendly school climate, the parents need to rear their children in a non-violent environment. After all laws cannot usurp parental example, education, or practices.
Even DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro claimed that parents have the most important tool that legislation cannot deliver close mentoring and supervision. This does not take too much time and effort; it just only entails one to simply read carefully the childs’ material in school so they can reinforce the message at home or by just determining the early signed of bullying like depression, school avoidance or social anxiety. However, the duty of the parents does not stop there. It extends to reporting the incidence to school authorities to solve the problem; otherwise the child will be scared for life or worse, he will be involved in continued bullying as an adult in the future.
The Anti- bullying Law is more than just words; it is a promise to every Filipino child. It is a declaration that we will not condone harassment, nor we will be bystander in the presence of intimidation for so many school children across the country, the law is a lifeline. But it will remain as a law on papers forever if we resist doing our share in ending bullying.
By: Ms. Bona M Diag | T-III |Sta. Rita High School Sta. Rita, Olongapo City
