08/08/2026
Sa Paaralang Ligtas at , Bawat Mag-aaral ay Huhusay
Every learner, regardless of gender identity or expression, deserves to feel safe enough in school to simply be a student. This matters now more than ever.
The 2015 National Baseline Study on Violence Against Children found that three in five Filipino children have experienced some form of physical or psychological violence, often in the very places meant to protect them, including schools. That reality is why existing safeguards such as DepEd's Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy and Child Protection Policy exist.
We understand that families, faith communities, and educators all have a genuine stake in how children are raised and taught. But children are also rights-holders in their own right. Their safety, dignity, and best interests have to stay at the center of any policy that affects them.
Respecting different beliefs and protecting children from discrimination are not opposing goals. At the end of the day, schools can hold space for many values while still making sure that no student is ever excluded, bullied, or made to feel unsafe.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Philippines has ratified, is clear that children must be able to exercise their rights without discrimination, and that their best interests must guide decisions made about them. This is echoed in our own laws, including the Anti-Bullying Act and the Philippine Plan of Action to End Violence Against Children, both of which call for stronger, not weaker, protections for learners.
We call on policymakers, government institutions, educators, administrators, families, and communities to uphold and defend the safeguards and policies that protect the best interests of every child. Let us stand with the Department of Education and work together to build and strengthen educational institutions where every learner is valued, supported, and given the opportunity to succeed—where no student is left behind; where every student does not just survive, but also thrive.
A school that is truly and genuinely safe is one that makes room for everyone. This is the standard we should all be working toward, one classroom at a time.
