Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10627): Summary and Full Text

Republic Act No. 10627, the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, is the Philippine law that requires all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies to prevent and address bullying. It defines what bullying is, sets the minimum contents of every school’s anti-bullying policy, makes the school principal responsible for carrying it out, and requires schools to report bullying data to their schools division superintendent. This page gives a plain-English summary for teachers, school heads, learners, and parents, followed by the full text of the law.

On this page 5 sections

Key points

• What counts as bullying: Any severe or repeated use by one or more students of written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, directed at another student. It counts as bullying when it causes the student physical or emotional harm or fear of harm, damages their property, creates a hostile environment at school, infringes on their rights at school, or disrupts learning or the orderly operation of the school.
• Examples named in the law: Unwanted physical contact (punching, pushing, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, pranks, teasing, fighting), acts that harm a learner’s emotional well-being, name-calling and negative comments about looks, clothes, or body, and cyberbullying through technology or electronic means.
• Every school must have a written anti-bullying policy that is regularly updated, given to students and parents or guardians, included in the student and employee handbook, and posted on school walls and the school website, if any.
• Bullying outside school can be covered when it creates a hostile environment at school, infringes on the victim’s rights at school, or disrupts the school.
• Retaliation is prohibited against anyone who reports bullying, gives information in an investigation, or witnesses it.
• Perpetrators face disciplinary action and a rehabilitation program run by the school; their parents are encouraged to join.
• Anonymous reporting must be possible, but no disciplinary action may be based on an anonymous report alone.
• False accusations made knowingly are also subject to disciplinary action.
• Names of students who bullied are confidential, shared only with the school administration, their teachers, and the parents or guardians of victims.

What schools need to do

1. Adopt an anti-bullying policy with the minimum provisions in Section 3 (prohibited acts, disciplinary actions, reporting and investigation procedures, protection of victims and witnesses, counseling or referral, anonymous reporting, and education for students and parents).
2. Designate the school principal, or a person in a comparable role, to implement and oversee the policy.
3. Investigate reports promptly. If bullying or retaliation happened, the principal or designee must notify law enforcement when criminal charges may apply, take disciplinary action, notify the parents or guardians of the perpetrator, and inform the victim’s parents or guardians of the action taken.
4. Notify the other school promptly when an incident involves students from more than one school.
5. Inform the schools division superintendent in writing about the school’s policy within six months of the law’s effectivity. New schools must do this before they operate.
6. Every first week of the school year, submit bullying data and statistics to the schools division superintendent.

School administrators who fail to comply face administrative sanctions set by the DepEd Secretary, and erring private schools may have their permits to operate suspended.

What everyone in the school community needs to do

Any member of the school administration, student, parent, or volunteer who sees or learns of bullying or retaliation must report it immediately to the school principal or the person the principal has designated. For related school policies, see the DepEd Child Protection Policy and the guide on administrative cases in DepEd.

Full text of Republic Act No. 10627

Republic of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
Metro Manila
Fifteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-third day of July, two thousand twelve.

Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 or Republic Act No. 10627

An Act Requiring All Elementary and Secondary Schools to Adopt Policies to Prevent and Address the Acts of Bullying in Their Institutions

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title

This Act shall be known as the “Anti-Bullying Act of 2013”.

Section 2. Acts of Bullying

For purposes of this Act, “bullying” shall refer to 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; such as, but not limited to, the following:

a. Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting school pranks, teasing, fighting and the use of available objects as weapons;

b. Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or emotional well-being;

c. Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victim’s looks, clothes and body; and

d. Cyber-bullying or any bullying done through the use of technology or any electronic means.

Section 3. Adoption of Anti-Bullying Policies

All elementary and secondary schools are hereby directed to adopt policies to address the existence of bullying in their respective institutions. Such policies shall be regularly updated and, at a minimum, shall include provisions which:

(a) Prohibit the following acts:

(1) Bullying on school grounds; property immediately adjacent to school grounds; at school-sponsored or school-related activities, functions or programs whether on or off school grounds; at school bus stops; on school buses or other vehicles owned, leased or used by a school; or through the use of technology or an electronic device owned, leased or used by a school;

(2) Bullying at a location, activity, function or program that is not school-related and through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased or used by a school if the act or acts in question create a hostile environment at school for the victim, infringe on the rights of the victim at school, or materially and substantially disrupt the education process or the orderly operation of a school; and

(3) Retaliation against a person who reports bullying, who provides information during an investigation of bullying, or who is a witness to or has reliable information about bullying;

(b) Identify the range of disciplinary administrative actions that may be taken against a perpetrator for bullying or retaliation which shall be commensurate with the nature and gravity of the offense: Provided, That, in addition to the disciplinary sanctions imposed upon a perpetrator of bullying or retaliation, he/she shall also be required to undergo a rehabilitation program which shall be administered by the institution concerned. The parents of the said perpetrator shall be encouraged by the said institution to join the rehabilitation program;

(c) Establish clear procedures and strategies for:

(1) Reporting acts of bullying or retaliation;

(2) Responding promptly to and investigating reports of bullying or retaliation;

(3) Restoring a sense of safety for a victim and assessing the student’s need for protection;

(4) Protecting from bullying or retaliation of a person who reports acts of bullying, provides information during an investigation of bullying, or is witness to or has reliable information about an act of bullying; and

(5) Providing counseling or referral to appropriate services for perpetrators, victims and appropriate family members of said students;

(d) Enable students to anonymously report bullying or retaliation: Provided, however, That no disciplinary administrative action shall be taken against a perpetrator solely on the basis of an anonymous report;

(e) Subject a student who knowingly makes a false accusation of bullying to disciplinary administrative action;

(f) Educate students on the dynamics of bullying, the anti-bullying policies of the school as well as the mechanisms of such school for the anonymous reporting of acts of bullying or retaliation;

(g) Educate parents and guardians about the dynamics of bullying, the anti-bullying policies of the school and how parents and guardians can provide support and reinforce such policies at home; and

(h) Maintain a public record of relevant information and statistics on acts of bullying or retaliation in school: Provided, That the names of students who committed acts of bullying or retaliation shall be strictly confidential and only made available to the school administration, teachers directly responsible for the said students and parents or guardians of students who are or have been victims of acts of bullying or retaliation.

All elementary and secondary schools shall provide students and their parents or guardians a copy of the anti-bullying policies being adopted by the school. Such policies shall likewise be included in the school’s student and/or employee handbook and shall be conspicuously posted on the school walls and website, if there is any.

The Department of Education (DepED) shall include in its training programs, courses or activities which shall provide opportunities for school administrators, teachers and other employees to develop their knowledge and skills in preventing or responding to any bullying act.

Section 4. Mechanisms to Address Bullying

The school principal or any person who holds a comparable role shall be responsible for the implementation and oversight of policies intended to address bullying.

Any member of the school administration, student, parent or volunteer shall immediately report any instance of bullying or act of retaliation witnessed, or that has come to one’s attention, to the school principal or school officer or person so designated by the principal to handle such issues, or both. Upon receipt of such a report, the school principal or the designated school officer or person shall promptly investigate. If it is determined that bullying or retaliation has occurred, the school principal or the designated school officer or person shall:

(a) Notify the law enforcement agency if the school principal or designee believes that criminal charges under the Revised Penal Code may be pursued against the perpetrator;

(b) Take appropriate disciplinary administrative action;

(c) Notify the parents or guardians of the perpetrator; and

(d) Notify the parents or guardians of the victim regarding the action taken to prevent any further acts of bullying or retaliation.

If an incident of bullying or retaliation involves students from more than one school, the school first informed of the bullying or retaliation shall promptly notify the appropriate administrator of the other school so that both may take appropriate action.

Section 5. Reporting Requirement

All schools shall inform their respective schools division superintendents in writing about the anti-bullying policies formulated within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act. Such notification shall likewise be an administrative requirement prior to the operation of new schools.

Beginning with the school year after the effectivity of this Act, and every first week of the start of the school year thereafter, schools shall submit a report to their respective schools division superintendents all relevant information and statistics on acts of bullying or retaliation. The schools division superintendents shall compile these data and report the same to the Secretary of the DepED who shall likewise formally transmit a comprehensive report to the Committee on Basic Education of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Section 6. Sanction for Noncompliance

In the rules and regulations to be implemented pursuant to this Act, the Secretary of the DepED shall prescribe the appropriate administrative sanctions on school administrators who shall fail to comply with the requirements under this Act. In addition thereto, erring private schools shall likewise suffer the penalty of suspension of their permits to operate.

Section 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations

Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DepED shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act.

Section 8. Separability Clause

If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is declared to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force or effect.

Section 9. Repealing Clause

All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with or contrary to the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 10. Effectivity

This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

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