Thug Life

Thug Life

A Hotel and Restaurant Management student stabbed and killed a classmate inside their classroom last year in Iloilo City claiming he had enough of the victim’s bullying. This is just one of the numerous cases of reported bullying which reflects that it still is a menacing epidemic which should be stopped.

Bullying is widespread in the Philippines. It occurs mostly in schools and over the internet and affects the students’ mentality resulting to negative outcomes like trauma, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. It can affect both the bully and the victim.

The cases of bullying are multiplying as technology advances and so is the capability of the bullies to victimize others. Statistics showed that about 50% of the students in the Philippines experienced being bullied in school and about 80% of the teenagers experienced being bullied online. The availability and affordability of internet access makes it easier to do such acts. Being connected to the social media using their mobile phones almost 24/7, the youth can easily hack accounts, steal identities and send offensive messages to other people.

The cases of bullying are proliferating, and the truth behind it is appalling. In STI College Balayan, two cases of bullying were reported this year starting from June to October. Ms. Chona Umandal, the school’s Guidance Counselor, said that there are still unreported cases because most of the victims are afraid that the bullies will get back at them. She also said that it helps if the victims will share their experiences to an adult.

But the support should not only be extended to the victims only, for the bullies are victims themselves. According to Ms. Umandal, we should try to understand what is behind this aggression. In a bully’s perspective, bullying someone can direct frustrations, hurt, anger, and difficulty at home or in class to the victim. They want to make fun of others in order to be seen as tough and in charge. Recent research about bullying cited that watching a lot of violent films, and violent games can make a person try out violent things. Some young people are bullied for no particular reason but perhaps because they are different in some way like the colour of their skin, the way they talk, their size or their name. And so, the need for parental guidance and support is needed in order to minimize the complication.

Each case of bullying is a painful story. Some victims said it hurts because it feels like no one cares about them, and they can’t tell anyone about it because other people will think they are weak or overreacting, even though they know they are not.

Everyone plays a big role in alleviating this problem. The answer lies not only in governance. It also lays within the actors themselves and the community that surrounds them. Parents are also responsible in preventing and responding to bullying. Rules concerning bullying are needed to properly address the cases. Educators such as teachers should know how to respond to different behaviours of the students. They are responsible in establishing a safe school climate. And lastly, the students are ought to respond quickly in case bullying happens. Speak up and ask for help! No one deserves to be torn down.

By: Lennox Rolly Evander A. Nioko, ST101P

Cartoon by: John Harvey Custodio, ST101P