MALACANANG insisted that Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) should investigate the bullying issue involving their junior high school students, reminding the school that there are anti-bullying laws in the country that should be followed.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after videos of a male student bullying at least three of his schoolmates went viral in social media Thursday.
In his press briefing, Panelo said that he was bothered after seeing the physically and verbally violent video.
“I watched that. I was bothered by what I saw. I think they should investigate first why there was such a one-sided fight,” he said Friday.
“I think the school should investigate the incidents and do something about it. You cannot be allowing bullying inside the classroom, and school. Besides, there is a law against that,” he added.
According to Panelo, the student in the video, a supposed Taekwondo athlete, may be a troubled one and was triggered, resulting in the assault.
“Given the fact that the one who mauled was much smaller. Parang ang liit niya, eh, nagulat nga ako ‘yun pala ano siya, magaling sa Taekwondo,” he said.
“Parang sinasabi nila na that bata should undergo psychiatric exams. Eh baka naman kako na-trigger ‘yung galit niya and knowing na magaling siya, at malaki ‘yung kalaban niya. Pero dapat talaga imbestigahan,” he added.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has called on ADMU officials and the parents to address the bullying issue.
“These things happen everywhere, in private and public schools, in exclusive and non-exclusive schools,” lamented the Ateneo alumni and the university’s former law professor.
“The school administration and the parents have the principal responsibility to address this concern,” he stressed.
On the other hand, the secretary reminded the university and the parents that “sensitive care and understanding should be extended to those young children who commit and/or are at the receiving end of these acts, lest they be psychologically or emotionally scarred forever.”
For his part, ADMU president Father Jose Ramon Villarin has assured the public that the school is investigating the incident and they are not treating it lightly.
He said that the Junior High School Committee on Discipline has been meeting and conducting all necessary inquiries since the incident was reported.
He, however, reminded people of the consequences spiraling out of control when the said videos are commented and shared on social media.
“I assure you we are treating the matter with the highest priority and urgency,” Villarin said in a statement.
Villarin also said that ADMU will not condone such behavior, noting of the school’s codified standards of conduct which all students are aware of.
“The school is not silent on its stand on violence and it will not hesitate to impose the penalty of dismissal or even expulsion in cases of grave misconduct,” he said.
The Department of Education, meanwhile, said it will monitor ADMU’s investigation but will not intervene since it is a private school.
The Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 compels all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies to address the existence of bullying in their respective institutions, including bullying through the use of technology or an electronic device. (Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Jeffrey Damicog)
