A legislative monitoring report on Baguio City’s 2017 anti-bullying ordinance has recommended several changes to strengthen how schools prevent, report and respond to bullying incidents.
Submitted by the Baguio City Council’s Legislative Monitoring and Evaluation Section (LMES), the report on City Ordinance 59-2017 found that the ordinance is generally being implemented in schools, with most schools integrating anti-bullying measures into their student manuals, curricula and child protection programs.
It also found common use of counseling, parent conferences, mediation, and school-based interventions in addressing reported cases.
However, the monitoring identified gaps involving the availability of trained guidance personnel, consistency in implementing school policies, and parental participation.
The proposed amendments would expand the provisions of the ordinance to establish stronger intervention measures by requiring regular information and education campaigns (IEC) on bullying, child protection, and responsible technology use as well as stronger participation of parents and guardians.
The proposed changes would also strengthen the composition and functions of school Child Protection or Anti-Bullying Committees and provide for structured counseling, intervention, and follow-up for victims, respondents, and other affected learners.
The monitoring team also proposed a new capability-building provision requiring the City, in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), schools, and other stakeholders to facilitate continuing training and technical assistance.
Another proposed provision would strengthen partnerships among schools, parents, barangays, police, social welfare offices, civil society and other groups involved in child protection.
The report further recommends requiring schools to maintain confidential records of reported bullying incidents and submit periodic reports for monitoring, evaluation, and policy development.
Under the proposed amendments, schools that repeatedly fail to implement anti-bullying measures may also be required to submit corrective action plans, undergo capability building, and strengthen their child protection mechanisms.
The recommendations remain proposals contained in the monitoring report and have not yet been acted upon by the City Council.
In August, DepEd-Baguio reported eight bullying cases since June 2026, while subsequent reports also pointed to continuing concerns over the availability of counseling and support services. **Jordan G. Habbiling
