DAVAO City may soon activate its Anti-Bullying Council as city officials move to strengthen the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Ordinance following concerns over bullying incidents and the recent school shooting in Tacloban City,
Councilor Lorenzo Villafuerte, chairperson of the Committee on Social Services, said he requested bullying data from the City Population Division after learning that bullying remains one of the top concerns among young people seeking assistance at the city's Teen Center.
"Ever since na-share sa akoa sa City Population Division ang numbers of bullying cases nato from last year and as of May this year, didto ko na-alarm nga kinahanglan gyud nato ang IRR (Ever since the City Population Division shared with me the bullying data from last year and as of May this year, I became alarmed that we really need the Implementing Rules and Regulations)," Villafuerte said during the Pulong Pulong sa Dabawenyos on June 30, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
He said he plans to present the data to Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte and recommend convening the Anti-Bullying Council to strengthen enforcement of the ordinance, especially with Bullying Prevention Month approaching in October.
According to Villafuerte, the council would monitor unresolved bullying cases and ensure schools comply with existing reporting mechanisms.
"Some schools here resort to hiding their cases of bullying. Maybe because hindi sila gusto na masira ang reputation sa eskwelahan. We don't know the exact reason. But dapat i-report nila (Some schools reportedly hide bullying cases because they do not want to damage their reputation. We do not know the exact reason, but these cases should be reported)," he said.
Villafuerte added that the city is also pushing for the creation of anti-bullying help desks in every barangay once the IRR is finalized to give victims another avenue for reporting unresolved cases.
"Kung mabuhat nato ang IRR, if ma-budget-tan nato kada-barangay, nay maduolan ang mga victims nga wala na-resolve ang case nila within the school or the workplace (If we are able to finalize the IRR and provide funding for every barangay, victims whose cases remain unresolved in schools or workplaces will have somewhere they can seek help)," he said.
He explained that the ordinance is intended to help children reform rather than simply punish them.
"Ang kuan nako aning Anti-Bullying Ordinance nato, it is not to punish our children, it is to give them a chance to reform, mag-change (The goal of our Anti-Bullying Ordinance is not to punish children but to give them an opportunity to reform and become better people)," Villafuerte said.
Data from the City Population Division showed that in 2025, the Teen Center recorded 2,336 male and 3,392 female clients seeking assistance for bullying-related concerns. As of May 2026, the center recorded 98 male and 101 female cases, with children aged 14 years old and below accounting for the highest number of reported cases.
Villafuerte expressed hope that reported bullying incidents will continue to decline as the city strengthens information campaigns and fully implements the Anti-Bullying Ordinance through the proposed Anti-Bullying Council. HANNAH MICAELLA ALBINO/SPAMAST, SUNSTAR DAVAO INTERN
