Palace spokesman ”bothered” by bullying in Ateneo

December 21, 2018

Malacanang on Friday expressed concern over the bullying incident in Ateneo De Manila Junior High School and urged the administration to investigate.

"I was bothered by what I saw. I think they should investigate first why there was such a one-sided fight," Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing in Malacanang.

Panelo said the school should do something since the country has also a law against bullying.

"You cannot be allowing bullying inside the classroom and school. Besides, there is a law against that," he said.

Videos posted on social media last December 19, showed a student bullying and harassing his schoolmates by asking them to kneel in front of him and kiss his shoes or by physically and verbally abusing the victims.

Panelo said there might be something or someone that triggered the kid to bully his other schoolmates.

  "Given the fact that the one who mauled was much smaller, I was shocked he is good in taekwondo," he said.

  "As I said maybe he got triggered because some are saying that he should undergo psychiatric examinations," Panelo added.

In a statement, Ateneo De Manila University President Father Jose Ramon Villarin vowed to dismiss the student involved in the video if he's found guilty.

"The school is not silent on its stand on violence and it will not hesitate to impose the penalty of dismissal or even expulsion in cases of grave misconduct," Villarin said.

"I assure you we are treating the matter with the highest priority and urgency," he added.

In another statement by Ateneo Junior High School principal Jose Antonio Salvador, he said they are now conducting an investigation and appealed to the public to help put a stop to the indiscriminate spreading of the video. Ella Dionisio/DMS