SENATE Committee on Basic Education Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian expressed strong dismay over the failure of most schools to comply with the law mandating the creation of Child Protection Committees (CPCs), which are essential in addressing bullying and ensuring student safety.

During a Senate Committee hearing on bullying cases in schools, Gatchalian emphasized that CPCs should be the first line of response in handling bullying incidents and other threats to student welfare.

According to DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dexter Galban, only 3,210 out of more than 48,000 schools nationwide have established CPCs.

Of these, only 966 are fully functional, while the rest are still in development.

Under the law, each CPC should be headed by the school principal, with members including a guidance counselor or teacher, a faculty representative, and a parent representative.

Gatchalian criticized the poor implementation, saying it’s unacceptable that only about 2% of schools have fully functional CPCs, calling it a clear violation of existing regulations.

He also questioned the penalties or disciplinary actions that could be imposed on school heads who failed to establish these committees, accusing them of negligence.

“The absence of CPCs sends a dangerous message—that schools are not taking the issue of bullying seriously,” Gatchalian said. He urged DepEd to enforce compliance and uphold student protection laws.