PNP says students may report bullying to police assistance desks

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said students may report bullying incidents to police assistance desks stationed near schools.

“That’s possible. We have existing laws against bullying,” PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said in an interview on DZMM on Tuesday night.

“We can sometimes say that our vigilance against bullying is only on paper. Perhaps, it’s time we become much more active against it,” he added.

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READ: Bullying goes beyond school grounds, child rights advocates say

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This came in the wake of a fatal shooting incident at a Tacloban City high school in which three students were killed, and many others were wounded when two male students fired several gunshots inside the premises last Monday morning.

READ: Guns in Tacloban shooting belong to suspect’s cop aunt, security agency

The two assailants had allegedly been bullied beforehand, according to Police Regional Office Eastern Visayas (PRO 8) director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy.

“Having said that, we know that no amount of bullying would justify what they did here. Nothing can justify this,” Co said.

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He clarified that the PNP was not confirming nor denying the information that the two suspects had been bullied and thus motivated to launch the attack.

“That was their claim. There were reports that they were somewhat teased. But, again, no amount (of bullying) would justify this,” Co maintained.

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He further reiterated that the police investigation was looking into whether the two minor suspects’ parents were also liable over the incident.

Both minors were immediately taken into the custody of the police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In the meantime, Co said PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered all police units to review their existing security protocols for schools.

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“Perhaps, there is room for improvement with what happened here. We can see there can be room for improvement. There should be a review to identify the gaps or weaknesses and what the appropriate interventions can be,” Co said. /cb