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In the Right Perspective

Ma. Bernadette Balane

            On September 18, 2013, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10627 otherwise as Anti Bullying Act of 2013.

            A provision in said law mandates the Department of Education to institute punishment for school administrators who will fail to implement the law as protection for students from bullying.

            The law defined bullying as "any severe or repeated we by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act of gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property.

            This is a very timely law because statistics show that one of the principal causes of the rising rate of drop outs in school is bullying. The weak are left without a choice but a drop out from school to avoid further harm or humiliation. Given the full protection of the law, the bullied are now secured in the pursuit for education.

            The law will also definitely lessen juvenile crimes because violations are immediately brought to judicial or quasi-judicial bodies and when found guilty, they are turned over, to proper authorities where they will be given counselling, reformation and rehabilitation.

            We call on the legal section of the Department of Education to expedite the crafting of Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 because bullying has its negative effects both for the bully and the bullied. This is a matter of putting everything in the right perspective.