The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will deploy more police personnel near schools following reports of violence on campuses.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, quoted by an ABS-CBN report, said field commanders are now tasked with assessing how many policemen to send to some schools and what time to send them there.
The official said more PNP personnel will be visible outside campuses before the start of classes and during dismissal.
PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. urged public and private schools to allow the presence of police officers inside their premises as a “crime deterrent” measure even envisioning the increased presence of police officers to prevent acts of bullying among students within and beyond school grounds.
Earlier reports said a 13-year-old student was stabbed to death by his classmate at Culiat High School in Quezon City last Jan. 20. Recently, a 12-year-old student accidentally shot himself with his father’s gun, which he brought to school in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) meanwhile raised concerns over the reported violent incidents in schools, following the said stabbing and shooting incidents.
“While we acknowledge the intent of the PNP in protecting the welfare of the students, CHR underscores the need to uphold the best interest of child in these instances — consistent with the Philippine government’s obligations as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and as embodied in our domestic laws — and seek balance in upholding safety in educational institutions by further studying the implications of this proposal,” the CHR said. cited.
In the Senate, Sen. Lito M. Lapid filed a bill pushing for the strengthening of the promotion and delivery of mental health services amid rising cases of mental health issues among learners and school personnel.
Lapid filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1795 which aims to put up Mental Health and Well-being Offices in every school division to address the mental, emotional, and developmental needs of learners and personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd).
In the bill’s explanatory note, Lapid expressed distress over the rising cases of mental health decline among students, citing that the Department of Health (DOH) estimated that at least 3.6 million Filipinos faced mental health issues during the pandemic.
Lapid’s bill to be known as the “Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act” also mandates the DepEd to provide for the hiring and deployment of Mental Health Professionals such that each public elementary, secondary, vocational institution, and offices in the different governance levels of the DepEd shall have mental health professionals or mental health service providers.
Under SB No. 1795, DepEd shall also provide for sufficient resources for mental health programs and projects designed to maintain and address the mental health and well-being of learners and personnel. Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta