A PHYSICAL altercation involving multiple students erupted in the school canteen of a public high school in Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City, raising serious concerns over student violence and bullying within the campus.
Mayor Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” Chan issued a statement condemning the violence and urging parents to be more involved in guiding their children.
“End violence and bullying in schools now,” said Chan.
Babag National High School junior high school principal Fernel Geraldez said in an interview that the fistfight that occurred on Monday, September 8, 2025, involved three minors, one Grade 8 student and two Grade 10 students.
He added that the incident, the first of its kind reported on school grounds, left one student with a bloody nose and another with an injury to the ear.
School officials said the conflict stemmed from a bullying and physical assault incident in late August, when a 14-year-old Grade 8 student allegedly struck a 13-year-old classmate on the head.
Grade 8 school adviser Clark Giovanni Guinoo said that some students claimed that the victim had been bullied since July, describing him as smaller in stature and frequently singled out by his peers.
He added that the incident on Monday is believed to have been triggered by the prior conflict, with the victim’s cousin intervening to support him while the two Grade 10 students reportedly sided with the alleged bully.
Although the August incident was resolved, school officials are now investigating the recent case and considering sanctions such as enrollment in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) for students 16 and older, transfer to another school, or admission to the Open High School program.
School Prefect of Discipline designate Iluminado Ariola Jr., said that the students involved will receive counseling before being transferred to another school or program.
Chan instructed Babag Barangay Captain Eulogio Manayon and the Department of Education to work closely with school officials. She also deployed the BPSO and police mobile to patrol the area. (DPC)