Filipinos sounded alarm over the comment of Sen. Robin Padilla that slight physical bullying is “more manageable” than “mental torture.”
“Yun po sigurong physical bullying, para po sa akin ano, kayang i-handle yun. Ang hindi po kayang i-handle ay yung mental [bullying] kasi yun po ang mabigat para sa akin ngayon, yun po ang nararanasan ng mga kabataan, yung mental torture,” the neophyte senator said during the review of the Anti-Bullying Law in the Senate on Monday, February 13.
“Yung mental na bullying siguro po yun po ang dapat nating harapin at kung ano man po siguro, yung physical bullying kapag umabot siguro na gusto ka nang patayin,” he added.
“Pero yung kadyot-kadyot lang dyan, ok lang yun,” Padilla continued.
The action star-turned-politician also claimed that physical torture has also helped him in life.
“Yung physical torture—sorry po ah pero para sa akin, nakatulong pa sa akin para maging—hindi naman po sa usapin lamang na humarap sa buhay palagay ko mga 20%, 30% nakatulong pa yun,” Padilla said.
‘Not acceptable’
The comment of Padilla on bullying raised eyebrows of social media users. They said that bullying should not be tolerated regardless of form and intensity.
“ANY FORM OF BULLYING IS NOT AND WILL NEVER BE OKAY. Bakit ba ang hilig niyo i-romanticize ‘yung mga ganitong bagay kesyo natulungan kayo?,” a Twitter user said.
“Bullying in any way is not acceptable. This causes mental and emotional torture, especially to children,” a social media user commented.
An online user also said that there is no such thing as “slight” bullying.
“How do you categorized a ‘slight’ physical bullying? Yung mga batok, kurot, sampal, sabunot, pagpitik sa ibat ibang parte ng mukha, pagpapaluhod sa asin o munggo, pagpaso ng sigarilyo. Ano ang mga to?” a Twitter user asked.
A Facebook user also expressed her worry that Padilla’s statement may encourage young people to bully.
“Wala sanang mga batang nanonood parang nag-e-encourage ka pa talaga na ok lang mam-bully basta slight,” she commented.
In the Philippines, six out of ten students in school have experienced bullying, according to the study of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Bullying also has negative repercussions on students’ academic performance, according to PISA.
The report found that learners who were being threatened scored 56 points lower in reading comprehension compared to those who had no or less frequent experiences.
