A viral video that shows a student beating up a schoolmate in one of the Philippines’ top schools has sparked a conversation among netizens and government officials.
The Ateneo de Manila Junior Highschool is currently under fire after a video showing one of its students bullying a schoolmate was posted on social media on Wednesday.
In the video, the erring student can be seen provoking a schoolmate to fight him while inside a restroom before beating him up. Both of them were wearing their Ateneo uniforms.
Ateneo is a Jesuit-run school considered to be one of the most prestigious institutions in the Philippines. Its Grade School and Junior High School divisions are exclusive to boys.
Despite Ateneo’s assurance that they have started to investigate the incident, many are still calling the school out for allowing it to happen under their watch.
Twitter user @tootern tagged Ateneo and criticized it for “cuddling a bully.”
https://twitter.com/tootern/status/1075698044283179008
Meanwhile, @Netornit alleged in Filipino that Ateneo “cared more about the bully’s privacy than fixing its anti-bullying policy.”
https://twitter.com/Netornit/status/1075643120572760066
In a statement yesterday, Ateneo Junior High School Principal Jose Antonio P. Salvador expressed concern over the video’s virality, saying that the privacy of the minors featured has been breached.
The bully has been identified on social media and his name is now a trending topic on Philippine Twitter.
While most agree that the bullying student should be punished for what he did, others agree with Ateneo and have expressed concern about his safety.
The backlash against the student has been intense online, with many pointing out that some critics have resorted to cyberbullying themselves.
@RightJoyce wrote: “So… there’s this news about that kid who bullied someone from Ateneo. Haaaay. Then people are cyber bullying him. What’s up Philippines?”
https://twitter.com/RightJoyce/status/1075928451041812480
“Let me remind you that the bullying student from Ateneo is still a minor,” @theluigibernabe said.
“Let’s just raise awareness and not condemn the kid. We’re fighting against bullying and yet you’re cyber-bullying him. So how are you different from the kid?”
https://twitter.com/theluigibernabe/status/1075747914834571266
@khaylachica called people “hypocrites” and reminded that “cyber BULLYING IS STILL bullying.”
https://twitter.com/khaylachica/status/1075768656221491202
It was also discovered that the student has a black belt in Taekwondo. This prompted the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) to condemn the student’s behavior.
In a statement released on its Facebook page yesterday, PTA Vice President Danilo J. Mojica said:
“We, the Philippine Taekwondo Association, condemns any form of misbehavior which includes harassment, bullying, and acts of violence. This is not what Taekwondo instills to its practitioners and is a serious matter that we as an association stand against.”
He also said that the PTA will conduct its own investigation on the incident.
Government officials have also spoken out against bullying, including senators JV Ejercito and Sonny Angara.
In a tweet, Ejercito wrote: “No to bullying. Parents shouldn’t tolerate their kids who bully other kids.”
No to bullying. Parents shouldn’t tolerate their kids who bully other kids.
— JV Ejercito (@jvejercito) December 20, 2018
Angara said: “Just a reminder to schools to strictly enforce their AntiBullying policies required under the AntiBullying Law. Disturbing videos going viral now. #NoToBullying.”
Just a reminder to schools to strictly enforce their AntiBullying policies required under the AntiBullying Law. Disturbing videos going viral now. #NoToBullying
— Sonny Angara (@sonnyangara) December 20, 2018
Angara also shared screenshots of the Anti-Bullying Law or Republic Act No. 10627.
The law prohibits bullying on school grounds or property located near schools and bullying through the use of technology.
