DepEd tightens anti-bullying policy

The Department of Education (DepEd) is showing “sharper teeth” in implementing its anti-bullying policy, empowering schools to prevent, address, and resolve bullying incidents with greater clarity and accountability.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday signed the revised implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 10627 (Anti-Bullying Act of 2013), which strengthen preventive measures, formalize school responsibilities, and establish a clear chain of accountability to ensure every complaint is acted on swiftly and fairly.

Under the revised guidelines, all public and private basic education schools — including community learning centers and overseas schools under DepEd’s supervision — are now required to adopt and operationalize a standard anti-bullying policy.

The updated IRR includes school-wide prevention programs, early interventions, and a streamlined system for resolving complaints and appeals. The roles of school heads, teachers, parents and parent-substitutes, and even learners are now clearly defined, ensuring that no case falls through the cracks.

Angara stressed that the new measures go beyond reacting to incidents. They provide definitions for precursor behaviors, repeated patterns of intimidation, and cases that may not result in physical harm but cause significant emotional distress or social exclusion — issues that often go unreported.