SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian wants the Senate to inquire on the status of the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 or Republic Act 10627 amid the alarming cases of bullying in schools

Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution 454 following a series of incidents related to bullying, including the fatal stabbing of a student from Culiat High School in Quezon City and the physical altercation between two Ateneo de Davao University students.

“Sa gitna ng nakakaalarmang mga insidente ng bullying at karahasan sa ating mga paaralan, napapanahon ang pagsusuri natin sa umiiral na batas upang matiyak na maitataguyod natin ang kaligtasan at kapakanan ng ating mga mag-aaral,” the senator said.

“Kailangang masugpo natin ang bullying sa ating mga paaralan, lalo na’t nagdudulot ito ng pinsala sa kanilang pag-aaral at mental health,” he added.

Gatchalian emphasized how bullying adversely affects the performance of learners as shown by the results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment which revealed that among 15 year-old learners from 79 participating countries, Filipino learners are the most exposed to bullying with 65 percent of them experiencing bullying at least a few times a month.

The assessment also showed that learners who reported being threatened scored 56 points lower in Reading compared to those who had no or less frequent experiences.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education pointed out that a comprehensive analysis and gap review of Republic Act 10627 is needed.

He said that every school should ensure that the anti-bullying law is fully implemented, including immediate responses, reporting, fact-finding and documentation, intervention, and disciplinary measures.