By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) is intensifying efforts to combat bullying and violence in schools through reinforced policies, expanded training programs, and an overhaul of its reporting and protection mechanisms, an official said Tuesday.
Following a series of highly publicized campus violence incidents, including cyberbullying and physical assaults among students, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban, during a Senate hearing, unveiled a broader strategy to prevent, report, and respond to abuse in the basic education sector.
Among the centerpiece initiatives is the Child Protection Specialization Course, which aims to equip school personnel with the necessary knowledge, skills, and shift in attitudinal orientation to manage learner protection concerns more effectively.
This course is part of a larger plan to assign dedicated Child Protection Specialists in all regional and school division offices. Each school is also expected to have at least one trained and permanent child protection officer.
“These efforts are part of our broader mission to create a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and respected,” Galban, who oversees learner support services, said.
Galban also revealed a plan to establish a learner ‘telesafe’ platform in every region, targeted to provide faster, real-time responses to reports of abuse or violence while being sensitive to the language and cultural context of each community.
The department, in collaboration with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), is also currently revising the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Bullying Act, with the revised guidelines expected to be finalized this month.
Galban said the department has also made several structural changes to strengthen its response system, such as establishing a national helpline (#33733) to enable reporting of school-based violence.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, welcomed the department’s reforms, but stressed the importance of full implementation and measurable results.
“DepEd’s initiatives are timely and necessary, but we need to see them at work in every school – especially in areas where incidents are more frequent,” he said.
Gatchalian is also pushing for stronger implementation of Republic Act 12080 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which mandates school-based mental health programs, crisis response systems, and emotional support services for learners.
DepEd data shows that more than 79,000 bullying cases were recorded between 2019 and 2022, with physical bullying comprising the bulk; while between November 2022 and April 2025, the department helpline received 1,314 reports of campus violence, including physical and cyberbullying. (PNA)
