Bullying incident at Ilocos Sur public school sparks outrage, multi-agency probe

A learner of Quinarayan Elementary School in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur was violently bullied by her classmates inside their classroom during the lunch break, in an incident that has since gone viral and ignited public outrage. The video involved minors and captured a prolonged series of physical and psychological attacks in a classroom with no teacher or adult present.

The video opens in a crowded room where learners stand between armchairs and scattered school bags, their faces turned toward a commotion at the center. A female learner wearing a backpack approaches another girl seated on a classroom chair, suddenly pushes her, and corners her near the blackboard, while some classmates raise their phones to record the incident instead of intervening.

The victim, still seated and clutching her belongings, is quickly surrounded by several classmates who block any possible escape. One boy at the back climbs onto a chair, apparently to get a better view, while another learner inches closer, seemingly drawn into the aggression rather than trying to stop it. The atmosphere inside the room shifts from a normal lunch break to a captive audience watching a fellow learner being humiliated.

As the video progresses, a boy in a bright blue shirt can be seen leaning forward over a desk and appearing to grab or swing a bag toward another learner. The desks, cluttered with papers and bags, create a narrow aisle that functions almost like a ring, with the confrontation at its center and other students forming a loose circle around it. No one can be seen stepping in to pull the aggressors away.

Later in the video, the victim is shown crouched on the tiled floor, arms wrapped over her head in a defensive posture as she cries and appears visibly helpless. Around her, classmates stand and move about, with the same boy in blue stepping near while others continue to look on. The aggression goes on for several moments, underscoring how quickly a classroom can turn into a hostile space for a child being targeted.

At one point, part of the scene is obscured when another learner moves in front of the recording device, but behind him the aggressors can still be seen lunging toward someone between the desks. Arms are raised, hands reach out, and the group closes in around the victim’s location, suggesting repeated attempts to strike or intimidate her.

The video also shows the victim back on a wooden armchair, head bowed and hands covering her face, clearly shaken and distressed. Some classmates beside and behind her remain quietly seated, while others stand at a distance. The classroom’s colorful curtains and posters form a stark contrast to the fear and tension evident in the foreground.

In another part of the video, a female aggressor in a white shirt and cap stands over the seated victim and appears to grip her by the hair or head area, forcing her to bend forward. An arm from another learner stretches into the frame, either to record or gesture, as a cluster of students gathers nearby with their attention fixed on the attack. The victim’s body language suggests she is simply enduring the assault.

The recording also captures a male learner in dark clothes stepping or leaping forward with one leg lifted, as though attempting to kick the hunched victim on the chair. The girl’s upper body is bent down, her head close to her knees, while a classmate in an adjacent armchair sits very close by in the cramped aisle, caught within the same narrow space but unable—or unwilling—to intervene.

In the latter part of the video, the female aggressor is seen walking away across the room with a backpack slung over her shoulders, yet the disorderly desks and the lingering tension among the children remain visible. Chairs and tables appear misaligned, suggesting how the earlier chaos disturbed the usual classroom layout.

The video ends with the same boy in dark clothes again lifting his leg toward the victim, who stays hunched on a chair near the aisle, her long hair falling forward as another student sits quietly nearby. Around them, more learners are either seated or standing close, the incident stretching on with no adult presence to stop it, while the camera continues to record as the victim tries only to shield herself and endure the bullying.

Under Republic Act No. 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, bullying in schools is prohibited and includes any severe or repeated physical or emotional abuse inflicted by one or more students against another. This covers acts such as pushing, shoving, kicking, punching, or using objects to hurt a learner, as well as behavior that causes fear, humiliation, or emotional distress. The law requires all elementary and secondary schools, both public and private, to adopt a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that defines prohibited conduct, sets out clear reporting and investigation procedures, and provides for appropriate sanctions and interventions.

Republic Act No. 10627 also mandates schools to ensure that bullying—even if committed during recess or lunch breaks, or within school premises but outside formal class hours—is promptly addressed. Schools must document reports, investigate complaints, protect the confidentiality and safety of the victim, and notify parents or guardians of both the victim and the offending learners. In severe or repeated cases, the law allows for disciplinary measures, including suspension, subject to due process.

DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, or the Child Protection Policy, complements the Anti-Bullying Act by requiring all schools to protect learners from all forms of abuse, violence, cruelty, exploitation, discrimination, and bullying. It expressly prohibits corporal punishment and harmful physical acts such as kicking, hitting, slapping, pushing, pulling hair, dragging, or any act that demeans the child’s dignity. The policy emphasizes that teachers and school personnel have a duty of care and must act immediately when they become aware of any incident that may place a child at risk.

The same order mandates the establishment of a Child Protection Committee or Learner Protection Team (LPT) in every school. This body is tasked to receive complaints, conduct fact-finding or preliminary inquiries, recommend appropriate disciplinary measures, and ensure that both victims and child offenders are provided with counseling, psychological support, and other necessary interventions. It also calls for prevention efforts, such as classroom discussions, homeroom guidance, and awareness campaigns on children’s rights and responsibilities.

DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2013, which issues the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 10627, lays down more detailed procedures for handling bullying cases. Among others, it requires that any teacher or school personnel who witnesses or receives a report of bullying must immediately report the matter to the school head. The school head, in turn, must promptly initiate an investigation, inform the parents or guardians involved, and impose graduated sanctions when the allegations are substantiated, ranging from reprimand to suspension or other corrective measures, always with due process observed.

The IRR also requires schools to integrate anti-bullying education into student activities, conduct orientations for learners and parents at the start of every school year, and maintain a record of all reported incidents. It underscores that interventions must be both protective and developmental—addressing the victim’s trauma and safety needs, while also guiding the offending learners toward behavioral change and accountability.

In the wake of the viral video, the Department of Education–Schools Division of Ilocos Sur issued an official statement strongly condemning the incident and reiterating that bullying in any form—physical, verbal, psychological, or online—has no place in schools under its jurisdiction. The division confirmed that the altercation happened during the lunch break inside a classroom and involved learners whose images have since circulated widely on social media, fueling calls for accountability and tighter enforcement of child protection policies.

The division reported that it immediately deployed two guidance counselors to assist the children involved and dispatched a legal officer to lead initial fact-finding. In line with the Child Protection Policy and the IRR of the Anti-Bullying Act, the school’s Learner Protection Team has initiated the prescribed procedures to determine liability, gather statements, and recommend appropriate interventions for the alleged bullies while respecting their right to due process.

Officials also said that the victim and the entire class will receive psychological support and counseling to address the trauma they may have experienced as direct victims, aggressors, bystanders, or witnesses. The division stressed its “unwavering commitment” to safeguarding every learner from physical, sexual, and psychological harm and vowed full cooperation with any ongoing investigations.

The Schools Division of Ilocos Sur has confirmed that it is coordinating closely with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine National Police, and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office. These agencies are conducting parallel inquiries to ensure transparency, protect the rights of the child involved, and determine whether additional legal or social welfare interventions are needed.

Such inter-agency coordination is aligned with DepEd’s child protection framework, which encourages schools to work with parents, local government units, social workers, and law enforcement when dealing with serious cases of violence and bullying. The aim is not only to establish accountability but also to secure the safety and well-being of the children, provide psychosocial support, and prevent similar incidents from happening again.

In separate interviews with local radio, the mother of the injured pupil, who asked to be identified only as “Raquel,” expressed her determination to pursue justice for her daughter. She said that this was not the first time her child had been hurt in school, and while she acknowledged that her daughter had teased a classmate, she underscored that such teasing did not justify the level of violence seen in the video.

Raquel said they were awaiting the results of a CT scan after her daughter reportedly lost consciousness and suffered head injuries following the incident. She appealed to school officials and authorities to fully implement the Anti-Bullying Act and DepEd’s child protection policies, emphasizing that no child should feel unsafe or unprotected inside a classroom.

In a separate interview, the mother of the learner accused of inflicting the injury admitted that her daughter was at fault and stressed that their family does not tolerate such behavior. She expressed willingness to talk with Raquel to arrive at a peaceful resolution, consistent with restorative and mediation approaches encouraged under DepEd guidelines, where appropriate and with the consent of the parties involved.

Both sides have expressed hope for mutual understanding and a resolution that would allow their daughters—who remain classmates at the same school—to continue their education in a safer and more respectful environment. For many parents and observers, the incident has become a painful reminder of the urgent need to strengthen guidance, supervision, and enforcement of existing laws and policies so that schools remain places of learning and protection, not fear.