1) Overview: What the Anti-Bullying Act Covers
Republic Act No. 10627 (the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013) is the Philippines’ primary law that requires elementary and secondary schools (public and private) to adopt and implement policies and procedures to address bullying in schools. It is principally a school-governance and child-protection law: it mandates systems for prevention, reporting, investigation, intervention, and disciplinary action.
A key point: R.A. 10627 is not a stand-alone “criminal penalty law” that automatically sends student bullies to jail. Instead, it:
- obligates schools to have an anti-bullying policy and enforce it;
- sets expectations for due process, documentation, reporting, and interventions; and
- makes room for other laws (civil, criminal, administrative) to apply when bullying overlaps with crimes or actionable wrongs.
The implementing rules are issued through education authorities (notably in basic education, the Department of Education), and these rules typically work alongside existing child-protection policies in schools.
2) Legal Definition: What Counts as “Bullying”
Under the Anti-Bullying framework, “bullying” generally involves severe or repeated use of written, verbal, electronic, or physical acts by one or more students that results in one or more of the following:
- fear of physical or emotional harm;
- damage to property;
- a hostile school environment;
- infringement of rights at school; or
- material and substantial disruption of the education process or orderly operation of the school.
Common forms
- Physical bullying: hitting, pushing, kicking, tripping, damaging belongings.
- Verbal bullying: insults, threats, slurs, mocking, persistent teasing.
- Relational/social bullying: exclusion, humiliation, rumor-spreading, coercing others to shun someone.
- Cyberbullying: bullying via texts, messaging apps, social media, email, online posts, fake accounts, doxxing, non-consensual sharing of images, etc.
Where bullying can occur
Bullying is not limited to the classroom. It can include acts:
- on school grounds;
- during school-sponsored activities;
- through school-owned systems; and
- in many school policies, off-campus conduct that creates a hostile environment in school or substantially disrupts school operations.
3) Who Is Covered (and Who Can Be Held Accountable)
A. Student-to-student bullying (core coverage)
The Anti-Bullying Act is primarily oriented to bullying committed by students against students in basic education.
B. School personnel and adults
While R.A. 10627 focuses on student bullying, teacher/staff misconduct (e.g., humiliating a student, tolerating abuse, retaliating against a complainant) is typically addressed through:
- school child protection policies and administrative rules,
- civil service rules (public schools),
- labor and contract rules (private schools), and
- criminal/civil laws when applicable.
C. Private schools and public schools
Both are covered. The main difference is what sanctions attach to the institution (e.g., DepEd oversight and permits for private schools; administrative discipline for public school officials and teachers).
4) What Schools Are Required to Do
The Act requires schools to adopt an anti-bullying policy with workable procedures. In practice, a compliant school framework typically includes:
A. A written Anti-Bullying Policy (disseminated to students and parents)
Common required components:
- definition and examples of bullying/cyberbullying;
- prohibited acts;
- reporting channels (including anonymous reporting options, where feasible);
- timelines and steps for response;
- fact-finding/investigation procedures;
- disciplinary measures and interventions;
- protection against retaliation;
- referral pathways (counseling, child protection, law enforcement, social welfare);
- record-keeping and confidentiality rules.
B. Reporting, documentation, and response mechanisms
Schools must be able to:
- receive reports,
- promptly assess safety risks,
- investigate appropriately, and
- intervene to stop ongoing harm.
C. Prevention and education
Anti-bullying programs often include:
- student orientation,
- teacher training,
- classroom management strategies,
- values formation,
- online safety/digital citizenship,
- peer support and reporting culture.
D. Due process in school discipline
Even within school discipline, students generally must be given:
- notice of the complaint/allegations,
- an opportunity to be heard (age-appropriate),
- impartial evaluation, and
- a documented decision.
Schools must balance victim protection with fairness, while prioritizing the best interests of the child.
5) Penalties Under the Anti-Bullying Act: What реально happens?
A. Penalties against the student bully (school-based discipline)
R.A. 10627 is implemented through school discipline, not automatic criminal prosecution. Disciplinary consequences depend on:
- the school’s code of conduct and anti-bullying policy,
- the severity (single severe incident vs repeated conduct),
- impact on the victim,
- age and context, and
- prior interventions.
Possible school sanctions include:
- reprimand and behavior contracts,
- loss of privileges,
- detention or community-based school service,
- suspension,
- exclusion/expulsion (subject to rules and due process, and generally more regulated in basic education),
- mandatory counseling, restorative conferences, or supervised reintegration plans.
Best practice (and common policy direction in child protection) is to combine discipline with interventions—counseling, skills-building, empathy training, anger management, parental engagement—especially when both victim and offender are minors.
B. Penalties against the school (institutional accountability)
A major “penalty” lever in the Anti-Bullying Act is administrative sanctioning of schools that fail to comply with the law’s requirements (e.g., no policy, no implementation, ignoring reports, no due process, poor documentation).
Depending on the school’s nature and regulatory authority, sanctions can include:
- compliance orders and corrective action plans,
- administrative cases against responsible officials,
- and for private schools, education-regulator actions affecting recognition, permit, or authority to operate (after due process).
Important practical reality: If a school systematically ignores bullying, the school and responsible officials can face administrative exposure, and in serious cases, also civil liability under general law principles.
C. Criminal penalties are usually under OTHER laws
Bullying behavior can overlap with crimes (e.g., physical injuries, threats, coercion, theft, extortion, sexual harassment, child abuse, unlawful recording/sharing of images). In those situations, penalties come from the Revised Penal Code or special laws, not from R.A. 10627 alone.
6) Remedies for Victims: What You Can Do (Step-by-Step)
Remedy Track 1: Use the school’s Anti-Bullying/Child Protection process
1) Report immediately
- Report to the class adviser, guidance office, school administrator, or the school body handling child protection/anti-bullying cases.
- Provide specifics: dates, times, locations, witnesses, screenshots, URLs, chat logs.
2) Ask for immediate safety measures Schools can implement interim measures even while investigating:
- separation of students (class seating, schedule adjustments),
- increased supervision,
- no-contact directives inside school,
- safe routes/escorts,
- monitoring online school platforms.
3) Participate in the fact-finding process
- Submit a written statement if possible.
- Identify witnesses and evidence.
- Request updates and outcomes consistent with confidentiality rules.
4) Request supportive interventions Even without a final sanction yet, victims may request:
- counseling and psychological first aid,
- academic accommodations for missed work (where appropriate),
- referral to external professionals if needed.
5) Escalate within the education system if the school fails to act If the school ignores the complaint or mishandles it:
- escalate to the appropriate education authority office overseeing the school (public school supervisory chain; for private schools, the proper regulator channel).
- Document everything: emails, letters, incident reports, responses.
Remedy Track 2: Civil remedies (damages and protective legal steps)
Victims (through parents/guardians if minors) may pursue civil claims when there is actionable injury—physical, psychological, reputational, or economic—and when legal standards are met.
Potential civil claims can involve:
- damages for injury, emotional distress, or reputational harm (depending on facts and proof),
- claims arising from negligence or failure to exercise appropriate care (context-dependent),
- and other civil causes of action related to defamation or privacy harms.
Civil cases are evidence-driven. Practical evidence includes:
- medical/psychological reports,
- documented school reports,
- screenshots with metadata where possible,
- witness affidavits.
Remedy Track 3: Criminal and special-law remedies (when bullying becomes a crime)
If conduct includes physical harm, threats, stalking/harassment, sexual misconduct, extortion, theft, or serious online abuse, consider reporting to:
- PNP Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), or
- barangay authorities (as appropriate), or
- the prosecutor’s office, depending on the offense and evidence.
But what if the offender is a minor? The Juvenile Justice and Welfare framework generally applies. The system prioritizes diversion, intervention, and rehabilitation for children in conflict with the law, especially below certain ages and depending on discernment and circumstances. Even so, reporting can still be appropriate to stop harm, initiate protection, and trigger interventions.
7) Cyberbullying: Special Considerations
Cyberbullying often moves faster and spreads wider than in-person bullying. Practical, Philippines-relevant steps:
A. Preserve evidence properly
- Take screenshots that show usernames, timestamps, group names, and URLs.
- Save the full conversation thread, not isolated snippets.
- If possible, export chats or preserve links and metadata.
B. Report to platforms and request takedown
- Use built-in reporting tools of social media platforms.
- If the bullying involves impersonation, doxxing, or non-consensual images, reporting is especially important.
C. Coordinate with the school
Even off-campus online abuse can be actionable in school discipline if it creates a hostile school environment or disrupts schooling.
D. Know overlapping laws
Certain cyberbullying acts can implicate laws on:
- online harassment/threats,
- privacy violations,
- image-based abuse,
- and other special protections (especially when minors are involved).
8) Bullying vs. Normal Conflict: Why the Distinction Matters
Not every argument is “bullying.” Schools typically distinguish:
- peer conflict (mutual disagreement) vs.
- bullying (power imbalance, repeated/severe harm, intimidation, humiliation).
The distinction matters because:
- bullying requires structured protective intervention,
- patterns can indicate child protection risks, and
- mislabeling can either minimize serious harm or unfairly punish ordinary conflict.
That said, a single severe incident can still be treated with urgency and serious consequences.
9) Retaliation, Confidentiality, and Safety
A strong anti-bullying process includes:
- anti-retaliation protections for complainants and witnesses,
- confidential handling of student records and sensitive information,
- controlled disclosure: enough for due process, not enough to expose the victim to more harm,
- safety planning during and after investigation.
Victims should explicitly state if they fear retaliation so interim measures can be implemented.
10) Practical Guidance for Parents and Students
If you are a student
- Tell a trusted adult at school and at home.
- Keep evidence (especially online).
- Don’t retaliate—report and document.
- Ask for specific protections (seating changes, monitored areas, no-contact arrangements).
If you are a parent/guardian
- Request the school’s written anti-bullying policy and ask how they apply it.
- Communicate in writing when possible.
- Request a timeline for action and documentation of steps taken.
- If there is physical injury or severe psychological harm, seek professional evaluation and keep records.
- Escalate when the school is non-responsive or minimizes serious harm.
11) Common Pitfalls in Bullying Cases (and How to Avoid Them)
- Verbal-only reporting with no details → Write down dates, places, names, witnesses.
- Evidence loss in cyberbullying → Save screenshots and links immediately.
- “He said, she said” paralysis → Ask the school to interview witnesses, check CCTV where available, and review digital evidence.
- Pressure to “just forgive” without safeguards → Reconciliation can be restorative, but only if safety is secured and accountability is real.
- Unclear outcomes → Request a written summary of actions taken (within confidentiality limits).
12) Key Takeaways
- R.A. 10627 makes schools responsible for having and enforcing an anti-bullying system.
- Student bullies are usually disciplined through school processes, paired with interventions.
- Schools that fail to comply can face administrative consequences from regulators and potential exposure under broader legal principles.
- Victims have layered remedies: school-based remedies first (often fastest), plus escalation to authorities, and—when facts justify—civil/criminal routes under other applicable laws.
- Cyberbullying requires immediate evidence preservation and coordinated response.
General information only; for advice on a specific incident (especially involving injuries, sexual misconduct, extortion, or persistent cyber harassment), consult a qualified professional or child protection office and preserve evidence right away.