Bullying incident in Bontoc, Mt. Province alarms Cordillerans

Mt. Province, Philippines – Amid discussions on the prevalence of bullying incidents in the Philippines, netizens in the Cordillera region were recently alarmed by the mauling in Bontoc that happened on Tuesday, April 8.

Recently, bullying took attention of authorities with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education on Tuesday, citing the findings of the Program from International Student Assessment which stated Philippines has the highest percentage of bullying among all participating countries and territories in 2018 and in 2022.

The Department of Education also revealed that it recorded 522 bullying cases from November 2022 to February 2025 through its TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline. However, as DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara admitted, these numbers do not capture the entire incidents, particularly on the ground.

Among those who were recently appalled by bullying cases were the Cordillerans who were irked by an incident caught on video on April 8. In the video, two minors were seen sitting outside the Sta. Rita Cathedral de Cascia in Poblacion, when an older teen approached the helpless victims, ages 16 and 14, and kicked them in the face. 

Police officers managed to hold the 19-year-old suspect, but later released him as no one filed a case against him.

The two minor victims, meanwhile, were subjected to counselling on April 10. They were accompanied by their parents and guardians in the case conference initiated by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, together with the Women and Child Protection Desk of the Bontoc Municipal Police Station.