THE Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) convened the Technical Working Group (TWG) tasked to review the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 10627 or the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013.
The TWG was created after Edcom 2's public hearing on bullying, following De La Salle University's research recommendations to amend the IRR and strengthen the provisions related to the Child Protection Committee, improve systems for reporting bullying cases, and clarify the structure and systems of DepEd related to bullying.
During previous Edcom 2 discussions, the discrepancy between the data reported by DepEd and data released by international assessments such as PISA was pointed out. Data also indicates that the country produced a relatively low number of graduates with Masters in Guidance and Counseling from 2018 to 2021, compared to the available or unfilled guidance counselor positions.
In contrast, data from DepEd showed that as of March 2024, there are 4,460 vacancies for guidance counselor positions that could not be filled.
In response, DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Dexter Galban highlighted how these positions are becoming unappealing. Currently, the starting salary of guidance counselors is at Salary Grade 11 or P27,000 per month.
According to the group, the current policy is not as responsive to the current forms of bullying being experienced by learners.
Consultations and focus group discussions with experts, schools, teachers, learners, parents, guidance counselors, mental health service providers and other relevant stakeholders will be conducted in the coming months.