Bullying

Bullying is a social issue with epidemic proportions and has been linked to other social
problems such as mass school shootings and youth suicide according to Cambridge Handbook
of Social Problems (2018). The Philippine government also recognizes this wide-spread problem
and created Republic Act No. 10627, or the Act Requiring All Elementary and Secondary Schools
to Adopt Policies to Prevent and Address the Acts of Bullying in their Institutions, to allow
students to report bullying anonymously.
But what is bullying and what are the forms or types of bullying?
Section 2 of the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 defines bullying as any severe or repeated use
by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or
gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually
causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his
property; creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; infringing on the rights
of the other student at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process
or the orderly operation of a school (The LawPhil Project).
The forms or types of bullying to watch out for are the following:
1. Physical bullying in the form of hitting or kicking the target, and destroying or
stealing property.
2. Verbal bullying in the form of teasing, name-calling, insulting, threatening,
intimidating, racist remarks, sexist comments, foul language or profanity directed at
the target, and commenting negatively on the victim’s looks, clothes or body.
3. Relational aggression is the use of relationships to control or hurt others.
4. Cyber-bullying is the use of social media, instant messaging apps, and any
information technology.
5. Sexual bullying involves humiliating words that target a person sexually, making
vulgar gestures, uninvited touching, name-calling and the likes.
6. Pranks are also considered form of bullying.
Bullying is something that should not be taken for granted. It is something that all school
stakeholders should be vigilant about before it’s too late for the victim.
FIDELA L. MASLANG

The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-social-problems/construction-of-school-bullying-as-

a-social-problem/8144D5DE053FB450BBD10E8122CCBEA2

The LawPhil Project: https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10627_2013.html

Philippine News Agency: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1038320