Davao City Third District Councilor Lorenzo Benjamin “Enzo” Villafuerte disclosed that the proposed Anti-Bullying Ordinance is undergoing revisions by members of the City Council.
Villafuerte, the measure’s author, is hopeful that the ordinance will be approved on second reading during the fourth regular session of the City Council on January 31, 2023.
Villafuerte reported on Friday that the said ordinance was not able to get the nod of the City Council last month, however, his committee report and resolution were approved on second reading.
“Napasar na atong December 2022 ang committee report and resolution for second reading. Ang ordinance wala pa nakapasar kay naa pa’y mga corrections ang atong mga kauban sa konseho,” he said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Friday.
In July last year, Villafuerte, chair of the Committee on Civil, Political, and Human Rights for the 20th City Council, proposed an anti-bullying ordinance. In a privileged speech, he said “the fact that bullying exists not just in the traditional school setting but has extended itself in the workplace and even in cyberspace suggests that there is nothing normal about it.”
The ordinance also aims to strengthen the already existing national law known as Republic Act 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act, which aims to protect children enrolled in kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools and learning centers (collectively, “Schools”) from being bullied.
