Franz Pumaren proposes anti-bullying month in Quezon City
MANILA, Philippines—The Quezon City Council is reviewing a draft ordinance that would declare October, its birth month, a period during which to campaign against bullying in all its forms.
The measure has been included on the agenda for Monday’s regular session for further study by the committees on public affairs, mass media, information and people’s participation; children’s affairs; and laws, rules and internal government.
Proposed by Minority Floorleader Franz Pumaren of District 3, the draft ordinance cites the necessity of increasing the community’s awareness of the impact of bullying among children.
He cited Quezon City’s 2012 anti-bullying ordinance which “aims to put an end to the alarming problem of bullying among students” and said that local projects protecting the rights of children help them become productive citizens.
According to the proposed ordinance, declaring October anti-bullying month would entail activities to raise the awareness among elementary and high school students that bullying is not tolerated in Quezon City.
Among activities to be conducted in the annual observance are psychological services, including one-on-one, peer group, and family counseling as well as the organization of the group Students against Bullying; and legal services.
The measure mandates the local social services and development department to coordinate these activities with public and private schools.
In 2012 Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista signed an ordinance penalizing officials and personnel who fail to act on incidents or encourage an atmosphere of bullying in the local schools.
The Anti-Bullying ordinance, citing the high number of schools, colleges, and universities located in the city, declares unlawful “all forms of bullying perpetrated not only in the school but done within its immediate vicinities.”
It also calls for the creation of committees in all primary and secondary schools in the city to set policies and address the existence of bullying within their educational institutions, including a protection mechanism for informants and the victims.
The 2012 measure states: “Bullying is committed by any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression or a physical gesture or any combination thereof that may cause physical injury, emotional distress and psychological fear of physical or emotional harm to his limb, family, and property.” The acts, it pointed out, could be physical, psychological, emotional, or sexual.
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