BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology

December 6, 2014

ASEAN MEMBERS:
Head of State
Brunei
Darussalam

Sultan Haji Hassanal

Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin
Waddaulah

Cambodia

King Norodom Sihamoni

Indonesia

President Joko Widodo

Lao PDR

President Choummaly
Sayasone

Malaysia

N/A

Myanmar

President Thein Sein

Philippines

President Benigno S.
Aquino III

Singapore

President Tony Tan Keng

Yam

Thailand

Vietnam

Head of
Government

Capital

Language(s)

Currenc
y

N/A

Bandar Seri Malay

English
Begawan

Brunei
Dollar

Prime Minister Hun

Sen

Phnom Penh Khmer

Riel

N/A
Prime Minister
Thongsing
Thammavong
Dato' Sri Mohd
Najib bin Tun
Abdul Razak
N/A

Jakarta

Indonesian

Rupiah

Vientiane

Lao

Kip

Kuala
Lumpur

Malay
English
Chinese
Tamil

Nay Pyi Taw Myanmar

Ringgit

Kyat

Manila

Filipino
English
Spanish

Prime Minister Lee

Hsien Loong

Singapore

King Bhumibol
Adulyadej

Prime Minister
General Prayut
Chan-o-cha

Bangkok

Thai

Baht

President Truong Tan

Sang

Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung

Ha Noi

Vietnamese

Dong

N/A

English
Malay
Mandarin
Tamil

Peso

Singapor
e Dollar

BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology
December 6, 2014

FENICHELS CURRENT TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY:

Prevention and Tolerance: A Counselors Guide to Bullying
By Lina Parker
As long as there have been young people, there have been bullies. However, in the past decade the rise of the
Internet and video channels such as Youtube have brought a new immediacy to the issue of bullying, which
unfortunately affects so many children and young adults in this country. Images of young people being victimized
by violenceand stories of the often tragic result of this harassmenthave captured the publics attention, while the
media campaign known as It Gets Better and the forthcoming release of the film Bully have kept the issue in
the national conversation.
Bullying is many things to many people, but the generally agreed upon definition, as formulated by Dan Olweus,
a pioneering researcher on the subject of bullying, is aggressive or threatening behavior that a) is intended to
cause harm, b) occurs over an extended period of time, and c) reflects an imbalance of power between the
involved parties. Bullying can take many forms; it can also affect all types of people, from the stereotypical
geek to the most popular kid on campus. There are steps that schools, communities, and individuals can take to
combat bullying, one of which is simply addressing the problem. As more research emerges, its becoming clear
that anti-bullying measures can work. And in many cases, these measures might make a real difference in the life
of a child.
Most of us have seen the shocking images: children beaten up while bystanders do nothing to intervene, instead
filming the whole scene on a cell phone camera. Other news stories show young adults who have changed schools
or, in the most extreme cases, taken their own lives because of persistent harassment from their schoolmates.
Almost everyone has experienced bullying at one time or another, if not as a participant then as an observer, and if
not an observer a victim. But the videos that have made the rounds on the internet and the nightly news have
caused both young people and adults to take notice.
Bullying Facts and Figures
The facts about bullying are stark: a 2009 survey of high school students showed that 20% of high school students
reported being bullied on school property in the twelve months preceding the survey. Schools themselves also
reported widespread bullying: 25% of them dealt with bullying on a weekly or daily basis in the 2007-2008
school year, with middle schools reporting the most. Boys are slightly more likely to be victimized by bullying
than girls, and more likely to suffer from physical bullying than girls. So-called cyber bullying was reported by
about 4% of students in 2007, but most reports show that the vast majority of bullying still occurs on school
grounds. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) seem to be at particular risk.
One study of 7,261 students in 2009 found that nearly 85% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed,
40% reported being physically harassed and 19% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year
because of their sexual orientation.
When we think of bullying, we often think of lunch money thieves and schoolyard brawls, but in fact the most
commonly reported form of bullying is more subtle but mistakenly benign that is, teasing, name-calling, and

BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology
December 6, 2014
insulting words. In other cases, bullies might spread false rumors about their victims, exclude them from
activities, destroy or damage their property, or make threats against them. Rising in stride with the emergence of
social technologies, cyber-bullying the newest form of bullying includes spreading internet rumors, sending
threatening or negative text messages, and making unwanted contact on social media sites.
Bullies and Victims
All bullies and victims are unique individuals, but there are some personality traits and life circumstances that
members of each group tend to possess and place them at heightened risk to offend or become a victim. For
example, children who are bullied are more likely to be perceived as being different from their peers. This can
mean anything from ones socioeconomic background, to wearing unfashionable clothing to identifying as LGBT.
Those victimized are also often depressed, isolated, and less popular than others. Occasionally, they are seen as
provoking, annoying, or anti-social. Unfortunately, the bullying can exacerbate these qualities as the victims
internalize the negative messages of their tormentors.
On the other hand, those doing the bullying tend to fall into two categories. Some are deemed popular by the
social standards that abound and, as popularity suggests, they appear to have many friends. In these situations, the
perpetrator uses bullying as a way to preserve his or her social stature. In contrast, some bullies are socially
isolated, withdrawn, exhibit aggressive tendencies and are less involved in school. Bullies in either category often
have problems at home or may not experience the benefits of constant and positive parental involvement; they
may have had previous instances of aggressive or violent behavior; they may have friends who also participate in
bullying behavior.
Bullying Prevention
Many anti-bullying programs are at least partially based on the work of the aforementioned Dr. Olweus, whose
research-based program has been reported to reduce bullying by half. The Olweus program, and others like it,
encourages school- and community-wide involvement, regular self-assessment by schools and school districts,
open communication between students and authority figures, and support for bullies and victims.
One of the most important steps in the Olweus program is laying a foundation for positive behavior, tolerance,
and mutual respect. This can be achieved in part by developing a code of conduct with input from students,
teachers, and the administration, then being consistent with consequences for bullying behavior. Values such as
fairness, personal responsibility, kindness, and empathy should be taught and explored through the classroom
curriculum as well as through school-wide activities and assemblies.
Another critical component of the program is early intervention. Staff should be trained to be vigilant and
recognize signs of bullying or aggressive behavior. They should intervene immediately when an incidence of
bullying or violence occurs. Bullies and victims, once identified, should be given support from school staff,
especially counselors and teachers, so that the behavior is addressed and not repeated. To drive this point home,
family counseling may be in order as well.

BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology
December 6, 2014
There are no easy answers to the bullying problem that our schools are currently facing, and, sadly, it is too little
too late for many who have already been made victims by bullies at school or online. Moving forward, however, it
is becoming clear that increased awareness of the problem and increased media exposure detailing the full extent
of the problem can help catalyze schools to take steps in a positive direction. As psychologist Richard L. Gross
has written, We are all either bullies, bullied, or bystanders. In other words, each of us has a role to play in
bullying prevention and from a counselors perspective that includes making it known to students that when they
see it occurring, they must notify the proper school authorities. Otherwise, its likely that the cycle of violence
will continue unabated, and more children will fall victim to the senseless cruelty of this national epidemic.
WEEKLY HEADLINES FROM SATURDAY TO FRIDAY

Noy on Ruby preparations: Failure is unforgivable

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)
December 5, 2014 - 12:00am
President Aquino looks at a Philippine map during a meeting with officials of the NDRRMC at Camp Aguinaldo
yesterday in preparation for Typhoon Ruby. AP
MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday warned concerned government agencies that he would have no
patience for excuses in failing to prepare for Typhoon Ruby.
Speaking with members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Aquino said
any failure in the performance of their duties would be quite unforgivable.
I will not be very patient with excuses after this event, the President said during the NDRRMC meeting held at Camp
Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
We are more experienced now (because of Yolanda) so we should be able to do more, he added.
Aquino said each agency should check on one another to ensure that all the necessary preparations are in place.
I like everybody to be a busybody or pakialamero. You should not assume that everything will trickle down, he said.
The President presided over the NDRRMC meeting that lasted for more than two hours.
Member agencies presented their preparations for the typhoon, which is expected to hit practically the entire country.
During the meeting, Aquino quizzed officials about their efforts to respond to the typhoon to avoid a repeat of the
devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda last year.
Among the concerns raised by the President was the stability of the prices of goods and possible looting incidents.
Aquino asked officials of the trade and interior departments to determine if the government could declare a state of
national emergency to prevent unreasonable price increases in affected areas.

BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology
December 6, 2014
Such declaration would allow the President to issue rules to protect the people from hoarding, profiteering, price
manipulation and other practices affecting the supply, distribution and movement of food, clothing, medicine, and other
essential goods and services.
Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla reported to the President that some stores in Leyte are no longer selling goods for fear
of being looted.
Everybodys panicking at this point including the groceries, Petilla said.
Aquino asked Trade Undersecretary Victorio Dimagiba to check if they could send rolling stores or discount caravans
to areas that may be hit by the typhoon.
The President also instructed the military and the police to send personnel to groceries and retail outlets to prevent
looting and other criminal activities.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. assured the President that they are prepared to send troops to guard
commercial establishments.
Our forces will secure supermarkets so there will be no more repeat of what happened during Yolanda, Catapang
said.
Aquino also ordered the Philippine National Police to declare all policemen not in their designated posts as absent
without leave (awol).
The minute that there will be checking of attendance and one is absent, declare him as awol. It is not acceptable if
someone assigned to the post is not there, Aquino added.
The President also directed concerned agencies to find a safe area where assets being used for response can be prepositioned.
Officials said the assets could not be placed in Guiuan and Hernani in Eastern Samar and Tacloban because they are
located along the typhoons expected path.
Aquino ordered an inventory of all military assets that can be used for response.
Catapang said Cebu could be designated as repacking center because of the availability of C-130 cargo plane.
The President said that warehouses should be available for the stockpiling of relief goods.
Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera said around 100,000 family food packs are on standby at their
national warehouse and are ready for distribution. She reported that 3,000 food packs have been sent to Borongan while
2,000 more will be given to Marabut in Samar.
Aquino wants safe evacuation sites for residents in disaster-prone areas.

BENDIJO, Frances Chinee S.

Current Issues In Psychology
December 6, 2014
The President also wants prompt and timely communications in affected areas.
For the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Aquino proposed the possible exemption from the truck ban of
trucks carrying relief goods.
Ruby presents a challenge. We have to be conscious of the sensitivities of our people, Aquino said.
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said authorities
were doing their best to ensure the safety of people when asked if the zero casualty target remained and if there would
be forced evacuation.
In every opportunity we learn our lesson and what I can say for sure now is we learned our lesson from the Typhoon
Yolanda experience, Coloma said.
Coloma said the Department of Social Welfare and Developments regional offices had prepared some 270,000 food
packs amounting to P18 million along with other food and non-food items totaling P270 million.
He said they had been appealing to the people to follow the warnings of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council right away and its local units.
Coloma added preemptive evacuation was being implemented since any delay in removing people from low-lying areas
could endanger the residents and even the rescue volunteers.
He stressed that local officials led by governors and mayors were expected to give utmost priority to people in danger
areas.
Earlier, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said local government units have also learned to follow the safety
guidelines set by the NDRRMC following the onslaught of Yolanda.
If we always have an aspirational goal of zero casualty, then the attitude of the government and the ordinary citizens
would be in a manner that would make sure that we are kept safe or we ourselves make the initiative to keep ourselves
safe from the calamities, he said.
On the possible storm surges that could affect coastal areas, Lacierda said they would let the Department of Science and
Technology give more accurate predictions on their possible occurrence.
He said the government wanted proper information to be disseminated to the public to avoid panic and mass hysteria.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management said the NDRRMC funds were pegged at P2.61 billion while
the balance for the Quick Response Fund (QRF) was P4.69 billion.
The breakdown of 2014 QRF per agency includes: Department of Agriculture - P405.8 million; Department of
Education - P563.87 million; Department of Health - P500 million; Department of National Defense (Office of the
Secretary) - P447.85 million; DND (Office of Civil Defense) - P764.47 million; Department of Social Welfare and
Development - P1 billion; and Department of Transportation and Communications - P1 billion. With Aurea Calica,
Lalaine Jimenea