Justice in the Philippines should not begin in courtrooms — it should begin in schools.

This was the message of Department of Justice (DoJ) Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez as she addressed more than 1,200 educators and education personnel during the Regional Assembly of Education Leaders in Quezon City.

Gutierrez said many of the cases that reach the DoJ stem from failures that start quietly inside classrooms, where students feel unsafe, unheard, or unprotected.

“At the Department of Justice, we often see what happens when systems fail … and many of those failures do not begin in courtrooms,” she said.

She stressed that safety is not just about guards or CCTV cameras, but about whether students feel secure enough to speak up. Bullying, she noted, remains one of the most persistent threats to students’ mental health and confidence.

Gutierrez drove the point home by citing a case involving a 14-year-old student who died by suicide after being publicly accused by a teacher, with the school failing to act immediately.

“The school did not act immediately… there were delays,” she said, underscoring the cost of inaction.

She reminded educators that laws such as the Anti-Bullying Act and Child Protection Policy require schools to act swiftly and protect students.

“Access to justice does not begin in court. It begins the moment someone feels safe enough to come forward,” she added.

Gutierrez also warned against everyday practices that could undermine accountability, including conflicts of interest and misuse of authority.

“Small compromises accumulate… and when that happens, trust erodes quietly, but completely,” she said.

She emphasized that justice in schools must extend to both students and teachers while also addressing gaps in teaching quality and the challenges faced by educators.

The DoJ Action Center and Katarungan Caravan, continue to bring legal services closer to communities, assisting more than 50,000 Filipinos since 2023.

Gutierrez closed by reminding educators of their frontline role in justice.

“The law gives us the framework. But you give it life … a school is where a child first experiences what justice feels like,” she said.