Kudos, lawmakers!

NCAE 2013, Lunch break, at a testing center in a public school, a female student was crying in her seat instead of taking her lunch. When asked why, she responded as she sobbed “Yun pagkain ko po nilamas niya sa mukha ko,” pointing at another student who looked like a boy rather than a girl to me. Shocked, I referred the incident to the adviser and went on supervising the examinees.

This instance reminds me of the House Bill 5496 also known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2012 which necessitates both public and private schools to implement anti-bullying policies. The bill endorsed by Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III imparts awareness upon people, especially the parents, significant details in regards to meaning, preventing and dealing with bullying (mb.com.ph).

Not a few students have lost self-esteem, have stopped schooling and worse, have attempted suicides because of bullying. My eighteen years in the service made me witness all of these incidents.  Having seen students being bullied and the bullies themselves disappointed me and listening to parents complaining about bullies and narrating the effect of the act to their children saddened me to the core not only because I myself am a parent but also because there was no specific policy which would back up any action by the adviser (or the school as a whole) where dealing with the act or the doers was concerned.

The Congress has made an impressive action at last and I commend them for such knowing that making schools enforce anti-bullying policies would not only benefit bullied students but the system as a whole. Protection for institutions which have been implementing procedures is now guaranteed and security among victims and parents is assured. Further, bullies are now given the chance to think twice before they engage themselves into committing the act as well as provided the opportunity to make use of their time doing something beneficial.