Poe urges Senate to revisit anti-bullying law to ensure “timely” response of schools concerned

(Eagle News)—Senator Grace Poe has said there was a need to revisit the anti-bullying law so that school administrators will not have “too much discretion on when to act” on a bullying case.

In a statement, Poe, who said she would file a Senate resolution to that effect, noted the case of an Ateneo student who was seen being bullied by his schoolmate in a now-viral video.

The same bully was seen physically and emotionally assaulting other students in other viral videos.

The bully has since been dismissed by Ateneo.

According to Poe,  the current law “leaves it up to (school administrators) to determine whether appropriate action can be taken.”

She noted the mechanisms put in place by the law, which says that bullying or retaliation has to be determined before the school principal notifies the law enforcement agency if it believes that criminal charges under the Revised Penal Code may be pursued against the perpetrator.

“This is why in the current case, even with the numerous videos that have come out, police are saying that they have to wait for Ateneo to notify them and seek their help,” Poe said.

To ensure a timely response to bullying, Poe recommended the creation of anti-bullying committees “which shall act upon reports of bullying within thirty (30) days after the incident.”

She said the members of the proposed body or committee should not be related in any way to the parties involved.

She noted the perpetrator should also be  required to take a leave of absence until the investigation is completed.

“The unfortunate incident should serve as a wake-up call for legislators to examine the law and plug the gaps to make it truly responsive to the problem of bullying,” Poe said.