Content warning: The report contains accounts of bullying incident and behavior.
Filipinos brought up other past incidents of bullying in a private Catholic school in Makati City after actress Yasmien Kurdi claimed her daughter was bullied by her schoolmates.
The celebrity mom, who has never mentioned the name of the school in her posts, shared that her 12-year-old daughter Ayesha Soldevilla was allegedly “ganged up on” by students.
Yasmien claimed this happened on December 10, when her eldest was “targeted by a group of students in her class because she was unable to keep up with group messages about their upcoming Christmas party” because they were out of the country.
“Surrounded by 7-9 students, Ayesha was blocked from leaving the classroom and was denied her food and recess! In other words, she was ganged up on,” the actress added.
She also said that her daughter “took a vacation to relieve the stress caused by another students who harassed her by taking video without her consent.”
Yasmien claimed the act caused Ayesha “paranoia and anxiety.”
“Ayesha is just a kid; she recently turned 12. And she has been enduring this type of bullying since grade 2. Alarmingly, this has led to the creation of an online ‘AYESHA HATE CLUB’ targeting her. For some reason, some of these students are now in her class,” she wrote.
The actress said that while she was “not surprised” when the parents of the “bullies” defended their children, she found it “absurd” to be told it was a “regular student meeting” and how they questioned her daughter’s behavior.
“Mind you, there are mostly girls, if not all. Gusto mo ba gawin ito sa anak mong babae?” she wrote.
Yasmien Kurdi details bullying in school experienced by daughter, calls out parents of daughter’s bullies
byu/hiraya_manawari_111 inChikaPH
Yasmien also shared that she found a photo of her daughter cut into pieces on Ayesha’s desk, saying that she found it “heartbreaking.”
The actress said she is set to meet with Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Thursday, December 19, to “discuss potential solutions and strategies” in addressing school bullying.
She also expressed gratitude to those who opened up about their children being bullied and assured them that “their voices are being heard.”
Yasmien added that she would use her platform “to advocate for meaningful change.”
“Together, we can shine a light on this issue and empower our kids to stand strong,” she said. “Let’s fight bullying and protect our children.”
‘No bullying’
Meanwhile, the Colegio San Agustin Makati on Wednesday, December 18, released a statement through a law firm that addressed the alleged bullying of Yasmien’s daughter.
“It is unfortunate that an incident among minor students have [sic] been blown out in the public,” the statement said.
“At the outset, there appears to be no bullying that happened on Dec. 10, 2024, but rather, a situation where students were discussing about Christmas party preparations,” it added.
The school said it is “handling the matter with caution, circumspect, and confidentiality” as the involved students are minors.
CSA added that it encourages parents, especially Yasmien, “to cooperate with the school so that matters can be resolved within the school mechanisms in place pursuant to its policies in compliance with relevant DepEd Orders.”
The school also cautioned Yasmien “to refrain from sharing information about the minor students,” even though she has not named anyone in her posts.
CSA said it “supports raising awareness on bullying” but is “also mindful that the drawing or seeking unnecessary public attention does not help at all in the formation and correction of students” in resolving conflicts.
Other alleged incidents
The statement earned flak from some Filipinos who accused the school of “gaslighting” and being a “bully enabler.”
Others remembered how the school had been involved in previous bullying incidents as well.
“This was Yasmien Kurdi’s interview last August 2023 re: her daughter’s bullying issue sa Colegio San Agustin. She reported it sa school. Then, may incident na naman pala nitong December. Sa CSA din na-bully si Heart Evangelista, right?” a Filipino said, sharing a clip of Yasmien from “Fast Talk With Boy Abunda” before.
“Yes! Heart Evangelista was also bullied there that forced her to drop out when she was just a teen,” another Reddit user wrote.
“Kinwento ng friend ko nung college, classmate daw niya sa CSA si Heart. Na-bully daw si Heart dito dahil sa napkin commercial niya,” a different user claimed.
Fashion influencer-actress Heart Evangelista previously bared of being bullied in the same school, where some of her classmates excluded her. Such incidents also caused her to eat in comfort rooms instead.
Heart said her experiences caused her to shift to homeschooling instead.
Another online user shared a different experience from an individual who claimed that someone made her “final years in CSA and in Manila” as the “worst years” of her life.
apparently the school has a long history of enabling AND glorifying bullies!
Another bullying story from CSA, I hope it gets the proper attention. @gmanews https://t.co/Z9iFD8b0GT
— Olga (@olgatheawesome) December 18, 2024
The individual claimed that the bullying she experienced caused her to lose “confidence” in herself and develop “trust issues.”
“I told teachers and my friends alike, but nothing happened. I stood up for myself and stood up for others, but to no avail,” the individual wrote in a Facebook post.
Another online user recounted a separate incident in 2022, where a Grade 9 student allegedly used a brass knuckle to fight another student.
“Is this the same school na may issue ng binugbog na Grade 9? ‘Yung sa CR with brass knuckles? 2022 ata ‘yun,” the user wrote.
“Oh no… so may history na pala talaga ang school related to bullying. Baka dapat i-involve na ang DepEd. Not only because of Yasmin’s daughter, but for those past issues na baka hindi nabigyan ng attention,” the user added.
In 2022, the school made headlines after social media posts claimed that a male student sparred with another student. The posts included images of blood on the floor.
The incident prompted graduates of CSA to urge the school administration to hold those involved accountable.
RELATED: CSA admin urged to hold those involved in viral ‘fighting incident’ accountable
Another user also shared allegedly experiencing bullying in the same school, claiming that it does not take such incidents seriously.
She claimed of being bullied “for perhaps” her “entire grade school life,” alleging that she had schoolmates who had a “notebook” where her “name was there.”
“I never got a hold of this notebook, but I’ve heard from others who were also victims of them that they called me a whore and a slut,” the user alleged.
The Philippines has Republic Act 10627, also known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, which requires schools to adopt policies to address bullying.
The law covers a broad range of acts considered “bullying,” including physical contact such as punching, actions that harm a victim’s emotional or psychological well-being, and cyberbullying through the use of technology, among others.