Why dealing with bullying matters for our country

Recently, my grade school and high school alma mater Xavier School launched a campaign against bullying on its campus. This for me was a welcome development, given that bullying is a regular occurrence in many all-boys schools. The effect of bullying, if left unattended, can be life-altering for many children, with some of them performing poorly in school or, worse, dropping out of school for fear of being bullied and laughed at by his or her classmates. During my early years in school, I was also a victim of bullying. Fortunately for me, I was able to channel this negative experience into something positive as I became more active in sports and in leading student organizations. The effect of bullying also affects the bully since this person grows up feeling that he or she can always get his or her way through coercion. Thus, when a bully finds that he or she can no longer impose their will upon others, they begin to fail in life since this is the only means they have learned to get things done. In our society today, the effects of bullying can be seen and this is perhaps one major reason why we haven’t really moved forward as a nation. Many of these bullies grow up with a sense of entitlement and are not afraid to use and abuse their power just to get what they want.   Bullies abound in our everyday lives   In almost all facets of our society, we can still see bullies trying to get what they want the way they have learned how. Motorist Robert Carabuena's actions — shouting at and even hitting an MMDA officer who had apprehended him for a traffic violation — shows that bullies continue to roam in our society. In our international airports, how many times have we seen alleged “Very Important People” cutting in line in front of us? Many political dynasties have resorted to instilling a culture of fear and intimidation among voters just to perpetuate themselves in power. Recently, another hard-hitting radio broadcaster was shot and killed in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija due to his on-air criticisms of particular political leaders in the province.     Bullying breeds graft and corruption   In our government and in our justice system, bullying has also become a regular occurrence. How many times have we seen a person who has the right political connections end up winning lucrative government contracts while those who deserve it more end up holding an empty bag? At the local level, those who want to get hired as public school teachers have to get the support of their Congressman just to be able to get a position even if he or she isn’t qualified. This happens because our Congressmen often “bully” our Department of Education officials during their annual budget hearings to place school officials of their choice in their areas. As we all know, school officials are the ones who oversee elections in our country; and these school officials become beholden to their Congressmen who have helped them get into their current position.   History has also shown that those who have money to hire well-connected lawyers can literally get away with murder, while the majority of Filipinos who are charged with much lesser crimes are sent directly to jail. A recent example of this was the escape of the Reyes brothers who are the alleged masterminds of the murder of known Palawan environmentalist and journalist Dr. Gerry Ortega. In such a high-profile case, how could our Bureau of Immigration allow them to leave the country? Your guess is as good as mine.   In other cases, bullying is committed not just by one person but also by influential institutions in order for them to be able to place their allies into government positions which can eventually benefit their own self-interests. In the recent impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, one particular religious institution even tried its best to sway the Senator-Judges to vote in support of the embattled former Chief Justice. Fortunately, our Senator-Judges chose to maintain their independence and did not allow themselves to be “bullied” into acquitting Corona.   Hindering the growth of a meritocratic society   This situation has hindered our country from moving forward to develop into a more meritocratic society, one where those who work hard are the ones who move up. Furthermore, this system, where only the powerful and well-connected are able to succeed, has also created an uneven playing field in our business community that has turned off many investors. In the coming elections, we also see a rise in the number of political dynasties that have entrenched themselves in several government positions because not many well-meaning Filipinos are willing to challenge them anymore.   If we want to truly attain a more prosperous and developed society, we need to begin by teaching proper values and behavior to our younger generation of Filipinos. This can begin by ensuring that bullying doesn’t happen in our schools or communities. Let us not forget that the values we teach our children today will help make them become the kind of leaders that our country needs to lead every Filipino to a better tomorrow.   ---------------------------------------- Comments are welcome at harveykeh@gmail.com Follow me at Twitter: twitter.com/harveykeh   Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo School of Government and is also the Lead Convenor of the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.