MANILA, Philippines — Bullying among Filipino children is no longer discussed only within classrooms and school corridors.
Child rights advocates said recent incidents — including stories shared publicly by actor and Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas and actress Yasmien Kurdi — have reopened a difficult national conversation: Bullying can happen not only inside schools but also in homes, neighborhoods, private spaces, and online.
RELATED STORY: Alfred Vargas, wife file complaint vs parents of son’s alleged bully
For Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines, these cases highlight a deeper problem: Existing responses remain too focused on school-based incidents even as children increasingly face harm in many parts of their daily lives.
In a statement released April 23, CRN said bullying should no longer be treated as an issue confined to educational institutions.
“Bullying does not only happen inside schools, and gaps remain in how homes, communities, and online spaces respond,” the network said.
The group stressed that protecting children requires “shared responsibility” among adults, families, schools, local governments, and private establishments.
The statement came amid renewed concern over recent reports involving Filipino children who allegedly suffered repeated bullying, including cases that ended in tragedy.
A widespread problem
Bullying remains a persistent issue in the Philippines, with international and local data showing Filipino students experience it at rates higher than many of their peers abroad.
Data from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed 43% of girls and 53% of boys in the Philippines reported being bullied at least a few times each month.
The study found that one in every three Filipino students experienced bullying at least once a week. It also showed that 28% of the 7,193 Filipino students from 188 schools who took part in the assessment reported that others had “made fun” of them, while 19% said they were threatened by other students.
Some reported being the subject of “nasty rumors,” while others said they were hit or pushed by other students. Others complained their things were taken away or destroyed, while some said they were “left out of things on purpose.”
READ: 1 in 3 Filipino students bullied in school – Pisa study
Citing the same PISA data, a separate Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) paper found the Philippines recorded among the highest bullying exposure levels among 15-year-old students globally.
Researchers noted that roughly three in every four Filipino students reported experiencing bullying acts at least once in 2022. More than a third also experienced at least one form of bullying every week, ranging from verbal taunting and exclusion to physical aggression, rumors, threats, and cyberbullying.
“Among the ‘most bullied’ Filipino students, about 2% experience at least nine acts of bullying regularly,” the PIDS paper stated.
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The revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, define bullying as severe or repeated acts that cause physical or emotional harm, create a hostile school environment, or disrupt learning.
These include physical, verbal, psychological, social, cyber, and gender-based bullying.
Under the law, schools are required to adopt anti-bullying policies, establish reporting mechanisms, investigate complaints, and provide support to both victims and those accused of bullying.
But more than a decade since the law was enacted, child advocates said implementation remains uneven.
Beyond punishment
CRN said responses to bullying must place “the best interest of every child” at the center. This means protecting and supporting children who experience bullying while also addressing the conditions that may lead other children to engage in harmful behavior.
“Children who experience bullying need safe, accessible, and responsive systems of support,” the group said.
It called for confidential and child-friendly reporting systems in schools, psychosocial support for victims, and timely intervention. But the network also said children accused of bullying should not be viewed simply as offenders.
“Evidence shows that many of these children also experience violence, neglect, or harmful environments in their homes or communities,” CRN said.
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The group warned against relying only on punitive measures, noting that doing so does not address the root causes of bullying. Instead, CRN called for preventive and restorative responses that include behavioral support, accountability, guidance, and intervention.
“Guidance, behavioral support, and opportunities for accountability and change must be provided. Supporting these children is essential not only for their well-being, but also for preventing the cycle of harm from continuing,” the group said.
The position echoes findings from child protection organizations.
Save the Children Philippines earlier warned that violence experienced at home can contribute to aggression among children. In a 2025 statement, the group said some children who experience humiliation or punishment from adults may later direct anger toward classmates or younger peers.
“Many children cannot retaliate when hurt or shamed by a parent or caregiver, so they express their anger, resentment and pain elsewhere, sometimes through aggression towards their toys, pets, younger siblings, or classmates who are smaller or appear weaker than them,” said Wilma Bañaga, child protection adviser for Save the Children Philippines.
“Physical and humiliating punishments at home can confuse children about what’s right or wrong, and they may copy this behavior when dealing with other children,” she said.
Research also shows corporal punishment remains legal in Filipino homes, despite long-running advocacy campaigns pushing for positive discipline and child protection reforms.
Tragedies that reignited debate
Recent cases involving alleged bullying have intensified calls for stronger protection systems. Earlier this year, education reform group E-Net Philippines urged authorities to review anti-bullying measures after the death of a 15-year-old student with a disability in Quezon City.
READ: Education reform group urges gov’t review of anti-bullying measures
According to previous reports, the student had a seizure disorder and allegedly experienced bullying before falling from a school building. The student’s mother told the Inquirer that she believed earlier injuries may have stemmed from an assault involving classmates.
READ: Mother seeks justice for death of special son allegedly bullied in school
The case prompted calls for stronger safeguards for vulnerable learners.
“The loss of this young life is a profound tragedy that should compel all of us, government, schools, families, and communities, to act with urgency and responsibility and ensure that such a tragedy never happens again,” E-Net Philippines said.
Vargas also pushed for a review of anti-bullying measures in Quezon City following reports surrounding the incident, saying: “We cannot just reason out that it was borne out of ‘childishness.’ This is a matter of life and death.”
Where gaps remain
While the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 requires schools to implement policies, advocates said many institutions still struggle with resources and enforcement. Some schools, child rights groups noted, lack enough guidance counselors, mental health professionals and trained child protection personnel.
CRN said the law remains important but needs closer review to address newer forms of harm and persistent implementation gaps.
“More than a decade since the passage of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, it remains a key law, but gaps in implementation persist, and evolving forms of harm continue to challenge how it is enforced,” the network said.
RELATED STORY: Stronger anti-bullying policies pushed in Senate
The group urged lawmakers to revisit the law while consulting children themselves, taking into account the views of children, and consider the following actions:
- Recognize that bullying does not only happen within the four walls of schools, and ensure responses extend to homes, private areas and public places.
- Recognize that protecting children from bullying and related harm is a shared responsibility of families, schools, local government and private establishments that interact with children.
- Strengthen monitoring and reporting systems through a centralized and standardized national mechanism to ensure consistent documentation, transparency and accountability across schools.
- Ensure functional, well-resourced Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in all schools, with mandatory training in trauma-informed care, child rights, inclusion and proper case handling.
- Invest in mental health and protective services, including more guidance counselors and a stronger capacity of teachers and school staff to prevent and respond to bullying.
- Enforce institutional accountability by imposing clear administrative consequences for failure to act on reported cases or to implement required protocols.
- Strengthen engagement with parents, caregivers, health and social welfare professionals, service providers, and local governments to ensure coordinated prevention, early identification, and response to bullying cases.
- Recognize that private establishments, especially those that directly or indirectly engage with children as customers, guests, visitors, participants or service users, are required to adopt and implement child protection and safeguarding policies and protocols. These should include clear reporting and response procedures, referral pathways, and regular training for employees, staff, and personnel to prevent, identify, and appropriately respond to bullying, misconduct, abuse, and other violations against children.
A shared responsibility
Experts increasingly point to bullying as a social issue shaped by family environments, peer relationships, economic stress, online culture, and community norms.
A recent PIDS study examining Filipino children over several years found that bullying outside school — including experiences involving adults or parents — can also influence school attendance, emotional health, and academic outcomes.
The study noted that “the role of background factors (child, family, belongingness, and community) figured prominently as critical factors in schooling outcomes supporting stronger implementation of a broader set of policies.”
READ: It starts at home: When children become mirrors of a broken world
For CRN, this means solutions must extend beyond disciplinary rules inside schools. It also said every child deserves safety in all spaces — not only in classrooms.
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“Every child has the right to feel safe in all spaces,” CRN said. “Every child also deserves guidance and support when they make mistakes.” /dm /atm
