Angara backs bill seeking to institutionalize student protection
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) backed on Thursday Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV’s push to prioritize a measure that seeks to institutionalize learner protection initiatives amid concerns about school violence.
In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed support for Senate Bill No. 2426, or the proposed Comprehensive School Safety Act, which was authored by Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
The bill seeks to institutionalize DepEd’s student protection efforts into a law, “ensuring that critical safety protocols remain funded and sustained.”
“We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Bam Aquino, as well as the co-authors of the Comprehensive School Safety Act. This measure institutionalizes our ongoing reforms, including the nationwide School Safety Campaign and the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE),” Angara said in a statement.
READ: School safety bill advances in Senate
At the Senate plenary on Wednesday, Aquino called for the bill’s inclusion in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council priority list.
The urgent calls came after recent school shooting incidents that transpired in Zamboanga last Aug. 18, which involved a junior high school student, and in Tacloban, which involved two minor students, last June.
Under the proposed bill, DepEd’s three-pillar framework — composed of prevention, response, and recovery phases — will be mandated in schools.
These include the following:
- Prevention phase: risk identification and safety training for parents, teachers, and student leaders
- Response phase: emergency procedures and active safety drills are conducted
- Recovery phase: psychosocial and other mental wellness support for affected individuals, families, and personnel
“By converting our campus security, anti-bullying, and mental health support protocols into a permanent national framework, the bill guarantees these safeguards remain funded and sustained for future generations,” Aquino emphasized.
READ: Gun owner charged over Tacloban shooting
Angara stressed that safeguards also require addressing “deeper behavioral and mental health needs” aside from heightened school security.
Moreover, DepEd shared its ongoing active security campaign in campuses, such as stricter inspections, visitor management systems, and increased police patrols, among others.
It had also started fast-tracking the employment of 10,000 school counselor associates to strengthen the school’s mental health support services.
DepEd added that it was working on “reinforcing Child Protection Committees; expanding the National Learners Telesafe Contact Center Helpline (LTCCH) in partnership with the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).” /atm
