SENATORS deplored the report that the Philippines remained as the "bullying capital" in the world, with one out of three Filipino students being bullied every day. Sen. Raffy Tulfo expressed concern over the uptick in bullying cases, with some leading to suicide. Tulfo said that from 1,158 cases in 2013 when Republic Act (RA) 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act, was passed, bullying cases rose to over 20,000 in 2018. "We are faced with this reality," he said. Sen. Bam Aquino said that according to the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, over 50 percent of Grade 5 students in the Philippines experienced bullying more than once every month in 2024. Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, on Monday led a public hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 441 and SB 1582 which sought to expand the coverage of RA 10627. He expressed concern at how schools and other public spaces are slowly becoming breeding grounds for bullying. “This is not the first time we are discussing bullying, and we already have an existing law. But why was it that it seemed that nothing has changed and the situation has turned to worse?" Tulfo asked. "The time to answer these questions is now. There is no better time to act than now.” Aquino raised the need to come up with solutions to end bullying in schools and protect the well-being of students. He cited a report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2), which tagged the Philippines as the “Bullying Capital of the World." The report said that bullying is directly related to low literacy rates, low academic performance and absenteeism among learners. "When our children are bullied, we are creating a generation full of trauma. Instead of embracing education, young people today are afraid of the very space dedicated for learning," Aquino said. Sen. Win Gatchalian pushed for the installation of CCTV cameras in schools to prevent bullying and violence. Gatchalian noted that having CCTVs installed is a key factor in schools that have low cases of bullying. "This (bullying) has been a problem for a long time, and there is a real need to discuss the reforms being undertaken by the Department of Education and the community on how to reduce, eliminate and prevent bullying in our schools," he added. Tulfo cited the case of a student with a disability who took his own life by jumping from the 4th floor of the Quezon City Memorial High School. He reportedly experienced bullying. The senator, who authored SB 441, proposed stricter penalties for schools that failed to act on bullying.