A new study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies has found that the long-term effects of bullying may lead to the nation losing up to P20 billion yearly in potential economic productivity.

The study, led by senior research fellow Dr. Michael Abrigo and presented during a research webinar earlier this month, found that bullying, often dismissed as a social issue, can have a significant impact on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) since its effects, particularly in academic performance gaps, can accumulate across the student population and affect future labor productivity.

The study estimates that bullying-linked setbacks could lower the GDP by around 0.05 to 0.08 percentage points each year, translating to approximately P10 billion to P20 billion in losses.

This amount is almost equivalent to the Department of Education (DepEd) budget on textbooks and computerization programs in 2024, which amounted to around P12 billion and P8 billion, respectively.

Prevalent problem

However, Abrigo emphasized that bullying is a “modifiable” risk factor, meaning it can be addressed more immediately compared to persistent issues like generational poverty.

The study also received criticism. A university fellow at De La Salle University’s Psychology Department noted that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey in 2018, from which the study drew data, did not explicitly use the term “bullying.”

Instead, it measured “bullying-related behaviors,” suggesting that varying definitions and cultural interpretations across countries could influence policy decisions.

The DLSU fellow also cautioned against drawing a direct and overly simplistic link between bullying and GDP losses.

The 2018 PISA estimated that 36 percent of Filipino students fell into the top 10 percent of globally bullied students. In the past year, around 76 percent of students experienced at least one form of bullying.

For an estimated 11,000 students nationwide, bullying behaviors ranging from exclusion to threats and extortion happen almost weekly.