22/06/2026
Before, you’ll hear that most criminals and law offenders justify their acts by blaming poverty.
Now, students who get in trouble and get caught up in criminal acts most likely claim that they just retaliated because of bullying.
Many people are quick to use bullying as the central issue, just as the media also tries to frame it that way. Really? Bullying? I don’t buy it!
Let me make it clear that I DON’T support BULLYING at all! I was once a victim of it and still experience mild forms of it wherever I go. I just do not want to give unwarranted empathy to these two teens who shot and killed their fellow students hiding behind the bullying “victim” card, simply because they feel they were treated poorly by others. This is a horrible and unacceptable excuse!
I will not dwell on the government’s support and mitigating efforts for young offenders. Although authorities truly need to reevaluate the existing laws on juvenile delinquency and criminal offenses, I would rather explain from my point of view what could be happening in schools nowadays, why extreme bullying persists, and why it should never be used as an excuse, a shield, or a reason to attract sympathy for criminal retaliation.
Remember that bullying has long been ingrained in our society yet hardly ever sparks criminal behavior. I got bullied too, and even after I became a teacher, I still face bullying from my family, workplace, and even my students. But one thing I am sure of: I never had any criminal thoughts to fight back or seek vengeance. Yes, I feel angry and sad about being mistreated, but as I grew older, I realized bullying is like an initiation into reality. As I age, bullying never fully stops, but it becomes less and less frequent because I learned how to avoid it and refuse bullies a reaction. I learned to stand up for myself without being physical or verbally cruel. I am pretty sure many of us have been bullied in one way or another, yet we never resorted to any kind of criminal act. So I do not buy the idea that they committed violence only because they were bullied. This is the media’s standard talking point every time a crime happens in school—to downplay the harm of the offense and push their own agenda.
We also need to stop framing this young generation as weak, fragile, and overly sensitive. Constantly reinforcing this idea feeds into their minds and pushes them to act out the exact vulnerable role we assign to them. They are not really different from us; the media paints them this way to control public perception.
Parents and the media hold an extremely strong influence over how our society and young generation think and act. Parents must be educated and take an active part in raising and shaping their children. It is not the school’s sole responsibility to build a child’s career path and character development. I am also pretty sure that if you look back and check the quality of media from past decades, it says a great deal about the minds and morals people held during those times.
If we want to stop bullying, or at least reduce its prevalence, DepEd and the MTRCB must not allow shows like ShowTime and Eat Bulaga to air. If you pay close attention, bullying is presented on these programs as a joke and slowly normalized as something acceptable; bullying turns into cheap entertainment. This is similar to other extreme political agendas—such as certain LGBT groups pushing for social acceptance by harassing straight people. Regulators should also ban online games that promote hatred, glorify su***de, and spread other toxic mindsets.
Criminal minds have no age. Psychopaths have no age.
