Philippines Justice Department to Issue Anti-Bullying Order for Prosecutors

The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) will issue a department order next week directing its local prosecution offices and the DOJ Action Center to receive and handle bullying complaints as schools reopen. Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato said the measure follows Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida’s commitment to strengthen anti‑bullying efforts and to provide victims and their families with avenues for assistance beyond schools.

The order will allow prosecutors to assess complaints, mediate disputes, refer cases to schools, or forward them to the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Desk, and to docket cases under Department Circular No. 20. The initiative was prompted by recent school‑violence incidents, including a shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban and multiple stabbings in Cavite. It adopts a victim‑centered, trauma‑informed approach consistent with the DOJ’s child‑protection policies.