MANILA -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday urged victims of cyberbullying to report these incidents to the nearest police station and file charges against the suspects.
PNP spokesperson, Col. Bernard Banac said from January 2017 to March 2019, there were 22 recorded cases of cyberbullying with minors comprising most of the victims and the incidents happened mostly through social media.
He said this is the most common form of bullying among the youth.
“It is important for victims of cyberbullying to immediately report these to the nearest police station and give an account of the incident. They should be accompanied by their parents or legal guardian,” he told reporters during the press briefing on Thursday.
Through this, Banac said police officers will be able to investigate, gather pieces of evidence and eventually catch the suspects.
Citing that most bullying cases committed in person are mostly solved by school personnel, Banac urged parents of victims of bullying to report the cases to school authorities and to the police.
Meanwhile, to help address the problem of bullying in schools as part of the preparation for the school opening on Monday, the PNP had formed task units to address bullying in schools, among other threats to students, including kidnapping and presence of explosives in school premises.
PNP chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde, however, clarified that police officers must first get permission from school officials before they can intervene with campus bullying cases.
"We cannot just go inside any school. There must be coordination with school authorities," said Albayalde.
Banac said the PNP will deploy around 120,000 police officers to secure the opening of classes.
He said upon invitation by school authorities, the PNP may conduct an inspection of dormitories and school facilities.
“The PNP will be aggressive and intelligence-driven on our focused police operations and will also keep an eye on street criminals such as snatchers, robbers, and even drug dealers,” Banac said. (PNA)
