Lao, Allan Jr. S.

Cyberbullying in the Philippines lets get personal

Last week, I appeared on Global News Networks Opinion Leaders show to
talk about cyberbullying together with Alvin Dakis of the Alliance of Young
Nurse Leaders and Advocates. Before I venture into that topic, let me discuss
some

relevant

basic

stuff

first

re

Internet

in

the

Philippines.

The

Philippines became connected to the Internet only in 1994. Even if the

technology has been around for Filipinos for almost two decades now, we still
have a long way to go in catching u other countries. According to
InternetWorldStats.com estimates, only one-third (or 32%) of Filipinos are
Internet users. Apart from the low penetration rate of the medium in the
country, a study by Google last April revealed that the Philippines has the
second slowest Internet connection in the world, next to Indonesia. As a
blogger for almost six years now, I know how unruly netizens can be on
certain

occasions.

Bullying

mostly

happens

in

schools

and

in

the

neighborhood. Usually, the bully will tease his or her prey over the latters
characteristics (bakla, payatot, and baboy, to name a few). In this form
of bullying, you can at least identify who the perpetrator is. In most
situations you can also take appropriate action against them. The identities
of cyberbullies may be difficult to ascertain. Blogs allow anonymous
commenting while troll accounts are all over Facebook. With Alvin Dakis,
writer and reproductive rights advocate

Unlike in the United States, cyberbullying hasnt really gotten much attention
among Filipinos until last year. In 2008, a woman from the state of Missouri
was indicted for bullying a 13-year-old girl by pretending to be a male suitor
who ultimately dumped her in MySpace. Two years ago, 18-year-old Tyler
Clementi from New Jersey jumped to death from a bridgeafter his dorm
mates broadcasted his encounter with another man online. Clementis death
triggered the launch of the It Gets Better project where prominent
Americans spoke against the bullying of gay teens including President Barack
Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and talk show host Ellen
DeGeneres.
Several Filipinos the past two years have claimed to be cyberbullied. Some of
them are public figures like singer Charice Pempengco, actress Sharon
Cuneta, and Senator Vicente Sotto III. Pempengco is rumored to be a
lesbian while Cuneta is being ridiculed for being fat. Meanwhile, Sotto
remains the target of online lampoon for plagiarizing several bloggers last
August. Pempengco and Cuneta should realize that getting negative
comments (baseless or not) about their appearance is part of being a
celebrity. If they hate negative comments, they should just retire to obscurity
then. Government officials like Sotto should be more prepared in handling
criticisms especially if it pertains to how they conduct their official duties.
Former US President Harry Truman once said that if you cant stand the
heat, get out of the kitchen. If Sotto thinks he should be immune from
public scorn, he should resign his Senate seat.

What about the likes of Christopher Lao and Robert Blair Carabuena? They
are not public figures but they committed actions that got caught on national
television. Lao ranted on national television that no one informed him about
the deep flood where his car got submerged while Carabuena was caught
physically assaulting a traffic enforcer.
The public shaming of Lao is overboard. After all, he is rushing home because
he wants to make sure that his daughter is safe. The criticisms that
Carabuena received for his abhorrent behavior is well-deserved, but posting
his home address and mobile number online and making death threats
against him is just too much. Is Republic Act 10175 the answer to all these
excesses? Is it realistic for Lao to file charges against everyone who called
him stupid and the like online?
Let me end by stressing my point earlier about the Internet being a relatively
new medium for most Filipinos. In my view, we are like children who just
received a new gadget (e.g. a Tamagotchi) from our parents. Out of
excitement and curiosity, we have the tendency to abuse the medium (ergo,
we can be trigger happy at times). Instead of imposing tight government
restrictions on how Filipinos should use the Internet, individual responsibility
should be promoted. GMA Networks Think before you tweet is a good step
toward this direction.
I was cyberbullied, too
I am no stranger to cyberbullying myself. Four years ago, one high school
acquaintance (lets call her Chel) asked her friends and fellow party

animals to flock to my Friendster page to report my account to the sites

administrators. Acting like a mindless sheep, a number of Chels contacts
posted shout outs on their respective Friendster pages where they didnt only
put the link to my profile page but also described me as a horrible gay
among others. Some even sent personal messages just to harass me.
What is Chels beef against me? One Saturday in June of that year, Chel and I
agreed to meet in a Quezon City mall. She told me beforehand that shell be
tagging along a friend that day (her high school batch mate, actually), and I
agreed. What I didnt know is that during the actual meet-up, the two will
make me feel out of place! This prompted me to walkout. Looking back, I
may be guilty of acting rude to a certain extent but it should not be a
justification for them to resort to online harassment.
I have no screenshots of those, but I remember two of those cyberbullies.
One of them landed a job as a disc jockey for a high-end FM radio station in
Metro Manila after losing in a nationwide VJ search. The second one hails
from Davao. She is now a top fashion blogger, describing herself as a
recessionista. I dont know if Chel and her two girl friends will get to see
this post. Nevertheless, I want to remind them that what comes around goes
around.
Source:
http://www.filipinoscribe.com/2012/11/12/cyberbullying-in-the-philippineslets-get-personal/
Date:

2008

A Cyberbullying Assessment Among High School Students

What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is the act of using electronic technology, such as cell phones
and computers, to deliberately harass or threaten another individual or group
(3, 6). A difference between traditional bullying and cyberbullying is that with
traditional bullying, the bully needs a physical location in order to harass
their victim (6). However, with the advent of the Internet and cell phones,
cyberbullying can happen anywhere and at any time (6). In addition, with
traditional bullying, the bully is most likely known to their victim, whereas
with cyberbullying, the perpetrator can have anonymity, which can have
more detrimental effects on the victim.
While many schools recognize the importance of reducing the occurrence of
cyberbullying, few schools may be aware of the prevalence rates within their
schools (4). Due to policies aimed at prohibiting the free use of cell phones
and online chat rooms/emailing during school hours, many cyberbullying
incidents occur outside school grounds. However, although this may be the
case, the effects of cyberbullying can carry over into the school climate (5).
While attempts at implementing intervention programs and policies to
reduce cyberbullying have been created (2), it may be more important to
first understand not only the prevalence of cyberbullying, but more

specifically what type of cyberbullying behaviors the students are involved

in.
To increase our understanding of cyberbullying behaviors, our research team
from St. Johns University conducted a study to do the following:
assess the prevalence rate of cyberbullying among high school

students

assess the type of cyberbullying behaviors among high school students

study how the occurrence of cyberbullying relates to social-emotional

functioning
study how the occurrence of cyberbullying relates to academic

performance.
Our Study
Ninth and tenth graders (11 male, 17 female) from a parochial high school in
the New York area were recruited for participation in our research. Twentyeight

students

completed

the

questionnaires.

Students

exposure

to

cyberbullying was assessed through a revised version of the Revised Olweus

Bully/Victim Questionnaire (7). The revised measure assesses cyberbullying
specifically,

whereas

the

original

questionnaire

targets

traditional

bullying. Students were administered a demographic questionnaire where

students

also

self-reported

their

current

GPA. Additionally,

students

completed The Behavior Assessment System for ChildrenSecond Edition

(BASC-2)- Self Report (SRP)***. Specifically, our research team focused on
measures relating to cyberbullying along with:

Attitudes to School

Attitudes to Teacher

Interpersonal Relations

Social Stress

Self-Esteem

Sense of Inadequacy
Results
Electronic Technology and Communication
In our study, one hundred percent of high school students reported owning
their own cell phone and 96.4 percent of participants reported using the text
messaging feature on a cell phone. 96.4 percent of the sample reported
using a home computer with 60.7 percent using their home computer every
day, 28.6 percent using it a couple of times a week, and 7.2 percent using it
a couple of times a month. Overall, the majority of students reported using a
computer as a means of communication (53.6 percent reported using chat
rooms; 96.4 percent reported using AOL or AOL Instant Messenger) (See
Table 1).
Table 1: Percentage of students who utilize electronic technology as means
of communication
YES
96.40

NO
3.60

percent
96.40

percent
3.60

percent

percent

Do you use text messaging?

Do you use a home computer?

Do you only go on website approved by your 53.60

46.40

parents?
percent
Do you use AOL or AOL Instant Messaging 96.40

percent
3.60

(AIM)

percent
89.30

percent
10.70

percent

percent

Do you have a MySpace/Facebook profile?

Frequency of Cyberbullying
In our research, the high school students did not report that they were
frequently victims or engaged in cyberbullying. We also found the following
trends:

The vast majority of students reported normal levels of functioning

When comparing males and females, there did not seem to be any
differences in terms of cyberbullying or functioning.
Cyberbullying, GPA, and Functioning
In our research, the correlation between a high school student being a victim
of cyberbullying and having a low GPA was weak. Additionally, the correlation
between

cyberbullying

others

and

having

low

GPA

was

also

weak. However, our data also suggests that those who have reported having
had cyberbullied others in the past had a higher sense of inadequacy and/or
had a negative attitude towards their teachers.

Discussion
Unfortunately, due to the small sample size, it is hard to generalize the
conclusions of this study. In addition, the results may not be typical of high

school students. However, with a larger sample size, future conclusions may
aide in the development of an intervention program. It may be interesting to
see the level of these behaviors and their related social emotional difficulties
with a larger and more clinical sample. Knowing the prevalence rates of
cyberbullying

behaviors

among

students

can

help

schools

develop

intervention programs aimed at the type of cyberbullying behaviors the

students are engaging in. Future research should examine such programs
and the long-term effect they may have. For example, does enrollment in
this program reduce the likelihood of long-term cyberbullying behaviors? In
addition, future research may want to investigate varied models of education
and prevention for cyberbullying and compare the effectiveness of these
models.
Source:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/cyberbullying-assessment-highschool/
Date: March 9 2012
Cyber bullying in the Philippines
Since the technology took its role part in the society, and since the internet
opened up for a lot of people who only want to be malicious, the number of
cyber bullying also increased. Cyber bullying is referred to as a mean act
that comes out from a person towards another , sometimes it might be an
act out of revenge, it might be out of hatred, or it might come out because
the bully is just bored. Cyber bullying comes in different ways either by

sending messages through social media, e-mail or a normal text message,

just to make the other person feel uncomfortable, powerless or threatened.
And it might also be by more mean ways, like sharing videos for the victim,
or accessing their personal information (hacking them) or by sending them
audio messages. The problem with the idea behind cyber bullying is that it
can take place any time during the day; it does not have to stick to specific
hours as what happens in schools or at work places. Cyber Bullying in The
Philippines is becoming an issue, and what proves that, is the fact that the
Philippines is considered the 4 th country to search for cyber bullying over
the internet, and that was according to Google. Due to that increase about
the topic of cyber bullying in the country, a lawmaker has filed a measure
that provide penalties for the people who is found doing any acts of cyber
bullying or any other kinds of harassment over the internet. This Social
Media Regulation Act of 2014 was mainly formed to address the people
who suffered mental and psychological anguish from the worsening cyber
bullying acts. This bill penalizes any person found guilty of the acts of
cyber bullying with six to 12 years of imprisonment and a fine ranging
between P30,000 and P50,000 that might be also imposed by the court. In
the Philippines, it was said that the first law the government took seriously
about cyber bullying was when the Senator Sotto complained about being
cyber bullied, this law aimed mainly at prosecuting cyber bullies and
making sure that there is a free flow of unfettered, and non demoralizing

idea between different net citizens in the country. The new cyber law also
bans other cyber crimes, such as:
Cyber sex or the willful engagement, maintenance, control, or

operation, directly or indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual

organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system, for favor or
consideration.
Child pornography , as defined in the Anti-child pornography Act of

2009.

Illegal access or access to some part or the whole computer system

without having the right to.

Identity theft.

Password theft.

Computer related forgery

Cyber squatting or the acquisition of the domain name over the

internet, in bad faith to profit, mislead, destroy reputation, and depriving
others from registering the same subject to certain subjects.
A lot of Filipinos went against the Cyber Crime Prevention Law of 2012, that
criminalizes identity theft, hacking, spamming, online trafficking and file
sharing, because they thought as much as it might prevent a lot of illegal
online acts, but they also considered it some way of banning the free
speech since under the new addition to the law that prohibits online libel
committed through a computer system or any other similar means which
may be devised in the future and according to some journalists, lawyers,

bloggers and politicians, the law gives too much room for interpretation
which gives the government great control over the life on the internet and
social media. And that is because the law does not only punish the person
who was responsible for the act, but also will affect the people who
accepted and agreed on it like sharing the content by tweeting, sharing
updates, videos and photos. The penalty can go up to 12 years in prison
and maximum fine of one million Philippine pesos for each incident.
Doctors say that sometimes it is easy to notice when someone is being
bullied on the internet, because the victim usually stops using their
computer or mobile phones, they might feel nervous when their mobile
rings or they might start feeling depressed after looking at their
computers. When parents at home or teachers in school start noticing
these things or start seeing that the children switch screens whenever they
pass by them, they should investigate and know whats going on behind
them. One new and different thing that appeared lately on the internet and
the issue of bullying is the linkage between cyber bullying and marketing,
some people are using cyber bullying as some kind to reach people, but in
the Philippines its not the same since in Philippine people tend to bond
together against any person they see is being harassed.
Source:
http://nobullying.com/bullying-in-the-philippines/
Date: April 14 2015
EFFETS OF BULLYING

Any severe or repeated use of written, verbal or electronic expression, or a

physical act or gesture, or any combination of these by one or more students
directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing
the latter in a reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to
the property, creating a hostile environment at school and Infringing on the
rights of the other students at school.

Anti-Bullying Act of 2012

From the looks of it, Jamie Garcia hasnt seen the end of his predicament. In
fact, it could only be the beginning of his long battle for justice not only for
himself, but for fellow victims of bullying. A senior high school student at a
popular Catholic school, Colegio San Agustin (CSA), he couldnt take it
anymore so he bravely came out and sought the help of media.
He has long been suffering from the hands of the school bully, JD. Worse,
the father of JD, identified as Allan Bantiles, reportedly slapped Garcia and
then pulled out a gun to threaten him. A teacher managed to intervene.
Bantiles was led out of the premises.
The report noted: The CSA Makati Alumni Association (CSAMAA) filed a case
report of the incident with the Department of Education and reported about
the increased security on campus and the banning of Bantiles indefinitely.
Moreover, CSA officials then ordered Bantiles never to set foot on their
campus again, while Garcias father, Mike, moved to have the gun-toting
dads car pass cancelled, as reported by Joseph Holandes Ubalde of
Interaksyon.com.

Days after the incident, two fathers, Ed Reyes and Boy (not their real
names) revealed that their sons, also students of CSA, were bullied, too, but
the school failed to take proper action.
As a parent, I find this very alarming and disturbing. What puzzles me is why
a known school like CSA has seemingly turned a blind eye to whats
happening right under its noses?
Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
A question begs to be answered: What is the nature of bullying?
I tackled the topic several times in my Parenting segment on TV5s Good
Morning Club. I interviewed parenting partner, Herald Cruz, head of the
parenting cluster of the Center for Family Ministries (CEFAM) of the Ateneo de
Manila University.
Below are excerpts from my interview:
Why is bullying prevalent in society?
There are so many forms of bullying. But the bottom line is, if your childs
self-esteem is affected and if she is repeatedly harassed by another child,
then she is being bullied.
I believe that the law has given us enough description of what bullying is all
about so that we can all have a better grasp of this type of violence directed
to another human being. Bullying is global concern that has become
prevalent in the workplace, schools and even in homes and it is prevalent
because of the following reasons: Society tends to pick on someone who is
different in appearance and someone who is weak and cannot defend

himself. Studies will show that many bullies come from dysfunctional families
where discipline is either too harsh or too lenient so it is very possible that
unconsciously they vent out their frustrations on others through bullying.
Children think it is funny (http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying). Bullying is also
an issue of power and control and a child is given much or none at all it can
manifest itself through bullying.
Source:
http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2012-10-07/856866/effects-bullying
Date:
07-10-2012

[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.
SEC. 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 victims psyche and/or emotional wellbeing;
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 victims looks,
clothes and body; and
d. Cyber-bullying or any bullying done through the use of technology or any
electronic means.
SEC. 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 schoolrelated 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 students 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 antibullying 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 schools 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.
SEC. 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 ones 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.
Source:
http://www.gov.ph/2013/09/12/republic-act-no-10627/
Date:
July 23, 2012

Alvin Dakis stated that. Bullying mostly happens in schools and in the
neighborhood. Usually, the bully will tease his or her prey over the latters
characteristics (bakla, payatot, and baboy, to name a few). In this form
of bullying, you can at least identify who the perpetrator is. According to the
author, bullying happens mostly around the neighborhood or school and
then, the usual tease for person is its latters characteristics which are the
characteristics that are unusual.

Pamela Ferro stated that. Cyberbullying is the act of using electronic

technology, such as cell phones and computers, to deliberately harass or
threaten another individual or group (3, 6). A difference between traditional
bullying and cyberbullying is that with traditional bullying, the bully needs a

physical location in order to harass their victim. According to the author,

using technology harassing an individual or group, traditional bullying this
people harassing their victim with physical strength, and with the cyber
bullying they harass their victim using the internet and electronic technology.

Tintin Bersola-Babao stated that. He has long been suffering from the hands
of the school bully, JD. Worse, the father of JD, identified as Allan
Bantiles, reportedly slapped Garcia and then pulled out a gun to threaten
him. A teacher managed to intervene. Bantiles was led out of the
premises. According to the author, the child suffer from the hands of JD
and to the father of JD that slapped and threaten him with a gun, and the
school

turned

blind

eye

to

whats

happening

in

their

campus.

Nobullying.com stated that. Cyber bullying is referred to as a mean act

that comes out from a person towards another , sometimes it might be an
act out of revenge, it might be out of hatred, or it might come out because
the bully is just bored. Cyber bullying comes in different ways either by
sending messages through social media, e-mail or a normal text message,
just

to

make

the

other

person

feel

uncomfortable,

powerless

or

threatened. According to the author, bullying is started mostly because of

revenge or might be out of hatred, or if sometimes, it is started when a
person

is

bored,

uncomfortable.

that

he/she

tries

to

make

other

person

make

Republic Act No. 10627 stated that. 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. According to Republic Act No. 10627,
bullying refer to any repeated of a written, electronic expression, that effect
of actually placing the latter in reasonable fear of damage to his property,
and creating a hostile environment will infringing to the rights of the
students.