Drug prevention and education symposium

ENGAGING in drugs, bullying, smoking and aggressive behaviors are some major problems schools encounter at the present time. The school cannot solve these problems without the cooperation of our law enforcers.

The Philippine National Police is one government agency that coordinates with both private and public schools to help decrease delinquency among the youth today.

Recently, the Philippine National Police celebrated its 17th Police –Community Relations Month with the theme: “Mamamayan at Kapulisan: Patuloy and Ugnayan sa Higit na Ligtas, Mapayapa at Maunlad na Pamayanan.”

One of the activities held was the lecture forum conducted among the 1st and 2nd year high school students of Baguio City National High School coordinated by Janet Joy Recel, BCNHS-SADAC adviser with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. Topics tackled were city ordinance by PNP representatives PCI Tomas Sabado and PI Ferdinand Sibayan, anti-criminality by PI Juliet Nalidong, and PDEA –CAR representative Serafina Tenenan discussed drugs and its ill-effects.

The lecture started with discussion on bullying. PI Divina Mencio in charge of the BCPO-Children Protection Desk said, “Bullying greatly affects students’ relationships with their classmate. Bullying may come in the form of gossiping, posing threats, pushing, name calling, kicking, teasing, stealing, spreading rumors and intentionally hurting their classmates and schoolmates.

According to experts, bullying is the common word applied to a pattern of behavior whereby one person with a lot of internal anger, resentment and aggression and lacking interpersonal skills chooses to display their aggression on another person.

Mencio shared, “The reasons why individuals bully are because of skin color or race; usually the darker ones are being bullied; underdogs or being a little guy; the kind religion one has compared to the majority; appearance such as being ugly also invites bullying; sexual orientation boys behaving like a girl, and girls behaving like a boy; and persons with disabilities also attract bullying.

She added, “Boys bully more than girls. Girls also bully using more indirect behaviours.”

Mencio emphasized, “Bullying consists of three basic types namely: direct bullying or physical like hitting, stealing, damaging, defacing belongings, restraining, pinching and taking the food of their classmate; second is verbal bullying such as name calling, uttering insulting remarks, threats, coercion and intimidation; and third is indirect bullying or social relation bullying like destroying and manipulating relationships, social rejection and isolation, gossiping and spreading rumors, graffiti acts and negative body language. Another form of bullying according to PI Mencio is cyber bullying which uses the computer and social networking sites to humiliate, threaten, and terrify other students online in the form of posting their photographs on the net and call them homosexual.

PI Ferdinand Tibayan informed the students of the new city ordinance in case students will violate some laws of the land. For smoking penalty: first offense, P200; second offense, P500; third offense, P1,000. Acts of graffiti or vandalism: first offense, P1,000; second offense, P3,000; and third offense, P5,000. Curfew among the minors will require them to do community service.

Serafina from PDEA explained kinds of drugs and its effects among the users. She said, “Drugs destroy life, its negative effect in body will cause hallucinations, physical and mental impairment.” She continued, “The school authorities should be watchful and vigilant with their students who are drug users, or drug pushers as these will bring danger especially to the to the young ones.”

The students and teachers eagerly listened to the speakers and were pleased to attend this lecture as it provided them information on facts, figures, punishments and what to do in case they put themselves into difficult situations like bullying, violation of city ordinances and ill effects of drugs.

Drugs are a menace to the society. Bullying is a major problem in schools while some students are hooked on smoking and violating rules and laws. Agreed upon, the school authorities will cooperate and work with the police force to address these problems.