MANILA, Philippines – Ten years after the anti-bullying law went into effect, the Senate committee on basic education on Monday, February 13, reviewed its implementation.

Committee chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian was alarmed at the statistics showing the Philippines on top of the list of students who are most exposed to bullying. 

As of 2023, there are 28 million students enrolled in Philippine public schools, and there were about 10,000 to 11,000 bullying cases already.

A Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2019 study showed that Filipino students are most exposed to bullying compared to 79 other countries. 

The poll showed that 65% or a big majority of Filipino high school students experience bullying at least a few times a month. This was way above the 23% average among the 79 countries that were surveyed.

Another study by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study showed direct correlation between bullying and academic performance.

The speakers at the Senate included psychologists Honey Carandang, Bernadette Madrid of the Child Rights network, Lolina Bajin, Shake Gueverra Hocson, and psychiatrist Cornelio Banaag, among others.

Rappler multimedia reporter Ryan Macasero breaks down the discussion on the anti-bullying law in a Rappler Recap. – Rappler.com