Anti-bullying program already in place in Taguig schools
Long before law is enacted
Even before the passage of the Anti-bullying Law just recently, schoolchildren in Taguig City already have access to a “student-friendly” means of reporting incidents of bullying since the start of this school year.
This is after the city government of Taguig and the local Department Education (DepEd) launched the formation of a Students’ Anti-Bullying Action Center (SABAC), one of pillars of Mayor Lani Cayetano’s program against bullying in schools.
Mayor Lani said the SABAC, which takes the form of an information desk to be run and manned by students, will provide a more comfortable venue for pupils to come out in the open before their problems with so-called bullies get any worse.
“These information desks will help bring matters of conflict resolution between kids to where they should be addressed—at home, where parents or guardians can take the lead,” said the local chief executive, who just won her second term.
The SABAC will be complemented by the city government’s efforts to provide all 34 public schools in Taguig with anti-bullying equipment such as CCTV cameras and widescreen TV monitors.
Mayor Lani is currently leading the distribution of the said equipment to the schools.
The main players of the SABAC program include the school’s Supreme Student Government (SSG) and Parent-Teachers Association (PTA). The SSG will designate an officer to man the desk every day.
Report-a-Bully Process
Dr. George Tizon, DepEd Taguig-Pateros administrator, noted that children tend not to reveal or share their bullying problem to their parents or even teachers for fear of getting reprimanded.
The SABAC program aims to change this by also urging witnesses of bullying among students to report an incident on the behalf of the victim, which could be their friend.
“Our target is not only the victim, but also the witness,” Tizon said, adding that the anonymity of complainants will be honored by SABAC.
The DepEd official went on to describe the report-a-bully process, which begins by filling out a complainant’s form.
“Once filled out and we get the identity of the victim and the bully, the SSG officer will report the incident to their advisor. The SSG advisor will then report it to the guidance counselor and after evaluation; it will then be forwarded to the school principal to summon the concerned,” Tizon said.
The meeting will be witnessed by the GPTA president and if necessary by the class adviser.
“This gives the parents the opportunity to intervene on behalf of their children before someone gets seriously hurt,” Mayor Lani said.
“Also, this gives the school the chance to see if the kids have any problems at home that contribute to their attitude toward others in school.”
Suggestion Box
For complainants who’d rather not engage in face-to-face reporting, Tizon said that drop boxes or suggestion boxes will also be set up in various locations within the school. Also, numbers for texting have been posted at the desks so students and the concerned may text the necessary information to them.
The punishment for bullies lies upon the gravity of the incident. A student may be suspended when physical harm is involved as per administration policy and after due process.
Moreover, the anti-bullying desks are tools not only to know the gravity of bullying in schools but also to prevent it.
Mayor Lani urged parents to attend several parenting seminars while students are attending leadership training to help them understand what is bullying and how to prevent such.
Also, with the recent installation of the CCTV cameras, students had been conscious of their actions lessening the acts of bullying fellow students.
The local DepEd conducted a seminar among representatives of the city’s 34 public schools during the summer vacation in order to prepare for the program’s implementation.
This was followed by an information drive at the various schools on how to report a bully.
The SABAC program is in full implementation in all 34 public schools in Taguig and by October, DepEd will release a full evaluation for the first semester. ###
FILIPINO VERSION:
Bago pa man naipasa ang batas
Anti-bullying program, meron na sa mga paaralan sa Taguig
Bago pa man maisabatas ang Anti-Bullying Act kamakailan lamang, naipatupad na sa mga paaralan sa Taguig City ang isang programang naglalayong maiwasan at matugunan ang problema sa bullying nitong nakaraang pasukan.
Ito ay matapos ilunsad ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Taguig at ng lokal na Department of Education (DepEd) ang Students’ Anti-Bullying Action Center (SABAC), isa sa mga programa ni Mayor Lani Cayetano laban sa bullying.
Ayon kay Mayor Lani, sa ilalim ng programang SABAC magkakaroon ng isang anti-bullying desk na pamamahalaan ng mga estudyante upang mas maging panatag ang mga magaaral na magsumbong bago pa man sila maging biktima ng pambu-bully.
“Ang mga anti-bullying desks ay makatutulong upang maresolbahan ang mga ‘di pagkakasundo ng mga kabataan sa tamang lugar kung saan may mga magulang na maaring mamagitan,” ayon kay Mayor Lani.
Sa ilalim ng programang ito, ang lokal na pamahalaan ay namahagi na ng mga kagamitan tulad ng CCTV cameras at widescreen TV monitors sa 34 na pampublikong paaralan sa Taguig upang matutukan ang problema sa bullying. Kasalukuyang pinangungunahan ni Mayor Lani ang pamamahagi ng mga nabanggit na kagamitan.
Ang mga pangunahing tagapangasiwa ng programang SABAC ay ang Supreme Student Government (SSG) at Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) ng mga paaralan. Magtatalaga ang SSG ng mga opisyal na mangangasiwa ng anti-bullying desk araw-araw.
Report-a-bully
Ayon kay Dr.George Tizon ng DepEd Taguig-Pateros, may mga kabataang ayaw ipagbigay alam sa mga magulang o maging sa mga guro ang kanilang mga problema sa bullying dahil sa takot na sila’y mapagalitan.
Ang layunin ng SABAC ay mabago ito sa pamamagitan ng paghihikayat sa mga saksi ng bullying na magsumbong sa ngalan ng biktima na maaring kanilang kaibigan.
“Hindi lamang ang mga biktima ang sakop ng aming layunin kundi maging ang mga saksi sa mga insidente ng bullying,” ika ni Tizon.
Inilarawan din ng opisyal ng DepEd ang proseso ng report-a-bully na nagsisimula sa pagsagot ng complainant’s form.
“Matapos itong sagutan at kilalanin ang biktima at nangaapi sa kaniya, ang opisyal ng SSG ay ipagbibigay alam ang insidente sa kanilang lider. Ito ngayon ay ibabalita ng SSG lider sa guidance counselor, at pagkatapos itong suriin tsaka ito ipagbibigay alam sa punong-guro para mapatawag ang mga estudyanteng sangkop sa bullying,” pahayag ni Tizon.
Ang magaganap na pagpupulong ay dadaluhan ng presidente ng GPTA at, kung kinakailangan, ay ang guro ng klase. “Binibigyan nito ang mga magulang ng pagkakataon upang mamagitan sa ngalan ng kanilang anak bago pa man may masaktan,” ani Mayor Lani.
“Ito rin ay pagkakataon sa paaralan upang malaman kung may mga problema sa bahay ang estudyante na nakakaapekto sa kaniyang pakikisama sa ibang estudyante.”
Suggestion Box
Para sa mga magrereklamo na ayaw magsumbong ng personal, may mga drop boxes o suggestion boxes rin na nakatalaga sa loob ng paaralan. May mga numero ding nakapaskil sa mga anti-bullying desks na maaring tawagan o i-text para sa mga sumbong.
Naayon sa bigat ng insidente ang parusang ipapataw sa nagkasala. Maaring masuspinde ang estudyante ayon sa patakaran ng administrayon kapag napatunayang may naganap na pisikal na sakitan.
Higit pa rito, ang anti-bullying desk ay hindi lamang paraan upang malaman kung gaano katindi ang bullying na nagaganap sa mga eskwelahan kundi pati na rin upang maiwasan ang mga ganoong estudyante.
Sa pagkakabit ng mga CCTV cameras, nabawasan ang mga kaso ng bullying sapagkat naging maingat ang mga mag-aaral sa kanilang mga ikinikilos.
Ang lokal na DepEd ay nagsagawa ng seminar noong nakalipas na bakasyon, para sa mga kinatawan ng 34 na pampublikong paaralan ng Taguig upang mapaghandaan ang pagpapatupad ng programa.
Naipatupad ang SABAC sa 34 na pampublikong paaralan sa Taguig, at ang DepEd ay susuriin ang programa matapos ang unang semester. ###