THE HOUSE Committee on Basic Education has started discussions on a measure declaring September of every year as National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month.

House Bill 7442, or the proposed National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month Act, was filed by Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Mary Mitzi ‘Mitch’ Cajayon-Uy.

In her bill, the lawmaker said bullying is a prevalent issue affecting school children and their parents across the country.

Bullying is generally defined as repeated aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person physically or mentally.

Cajayon-Uy cited studies showing that school bullying negatively impacts student learning and motivation in the long term.

“Aside from the learner-level adverse effects, bullying incidents also severely affect the school environment, to the point that even learners who are not bullied may feel unsafe in an environment where they witness bullying,” Cajayon-Uy said in her explanatory note.

Pending a comprehensive review and gap analysis of the Anti-Bullying Act, which is crucial to identifying the challenges in enforcing measures to address the rise in bullying incidents, the solon emphasized the importance of addressing the persistent issue through a public awareness and information campaign.

The measure seeks to declare September as National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month, in commemoration of the passage of the law.

“Through this effort, it is hoped that the problem of bullying in schools will be effectively prevented or minimized through awareness-raising activities, aimed at regularly educating the public, especially students, on the harmful impact of bullying—not only on the future of our children and the Filipino youth but also on the developmental goals of the nation.”