Alfred Vargas urges probe of alleged bullying of PWD students

Quezon City 5th district Councilor Alfred Vargas said on Monday that he has coordinated with the city’s Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) to look into reports of bullying and physical abuse against students with disabilities. 

This was after the alleged bullying of a 15-year-old student with a seizure disorder. The city council has voted to investigate the incident. 

“Layunin po nating marinig ang lahat ng mga stakeholders, mapanagot ang sinumang dapat mapanagot na may sala o may pagpapabaya na dahilan ng malungkot na pangyayaring ito. All sides should be heard. Only the truth shall be pursued," said Vargas. 

(Our goal is to hear from all stakeholders and hold accountable anyone who should be held responsible for any wrongdoing or negligence that caused this sad incident.) 

Vargas is also pushing for a stricter implementation of the city’s anti-bullying ordinance. 

“Siyempre, kasama sa pamumuno ng ating Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, at nating lahat, ang ating mga kasamahan sa Sangguniang Panlungsod na muli po nating buksan at pag-usapan ang Anti-Bullying Ordinance po natin. Maaaring kailangan na po natin itong paigtingin pa at mag-adjust sa panahon upang hindi na maulit ang mga ganitong klaseng kasawian,” Vargas said.

(Of course, along with the leadership of our Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, and all of us, our colleagues in the City Council, we must once again open and discuss our Anti-Bullying Ordinance. We might need to strengthen it further and adjust it to the current times so that this kind of tragedy never happens again.) 

Vargas is pushing to create specialized reporting channels and stricter penalties for those who target students with special needs through the help of PDAO. 

The councilor also called on school administrators and parents to take a more proactive stance. 

“Sa pagbalangkas o sa pag-amyenda ng ating ordinansa, itanong din natin kung ano ba talaga ang tungkulin ng mga magulang ng mga estudyante sa pag-report ng bullying. Ano ang role, ang papel ng mga magulang kung yung anak nila ang binubully? Lalo na, ano'ng role ng magulang kung yung anak nila yung nambubully? Napakahalaga po ng papel ng magulang sa usaping ito, ” said Vargas. 

(In drafting or amending our ordinance, let us also ask what the duty of parents really is in reporting bullying. What is the role of parents if their child is being bullied? More importantly, what is the role of the parent if their child is the bully? The role of parents is extremely important in this issue.) 

“Nananawagan po ako sa ating lahat na maging mas mapagmalasakit sa ating kapwa. Spread kindness. At siyempre, maging mapagmatyag at maagap sa pagre-report sa mga insidente ng pang-aabuso at pambubully. Wala pong pamilya ang dapat makaranas ng ganitong pighati dahil sa bullying,” he added. 

(I am calling on everyone to be more compassionate toward our fellow human beings. Spread kindness. And of course, be vigilant and prompt in reporting incidents of abuse and bullying. No family should have to experience this kind of grief due to bullying.) 

Senators earlier raised the possibility of imposing penalties on parents whose children bully classmates, including requiring them to perform community service in schools, as lawmakers reviewed government measures to address the country’s persistent bullying problem. –Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News