05/08/2026
FROM PAPER TO PRACTICE๐ก๏ธ
โWe cannot afford another school year where systems exist on paper, but not in practice,โ EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education urged DepEd to fully implement the revised rules of the Anti-Bullying Act, warning that gaps in enforcement continue to leave many learners vulnerable.
The revised implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 10627 were signed by DepEd in August 2025 after consultations with EDCOM II.
The updated rules broaden the definition of bullying to include repeated intimidation, cyberbullying, social exclusion, and precursor behaviors.
They also establish a three-tier response system. Minor cases may be handled by teachers, more serious incidents should be referred to learner formation officers, and severe cases may be elevated to school heads, parents, and law enforcement when necessary.
Nearly a year after the revised rules took effect, EDCOM II said many schools still have to designate learner formation officers, localize their anti-bullying policies, and set up referral systems for learners who need help.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian also linked school violence to overcrowding, saying highly congested schools tend to record more incidents of violence.
He called for the immediate hiring of 10,000 school counselor associates, with โฑ2 billion allocated for the program under the 2026 national budget.
A safe school is not only one with rules. It is one where learners know where to seek help, adults know how to respond, and bullying is acted on before it becomes normalized.