19/08/2026
(๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: This position statement reflects the perspectives and advocacy of the Northern Iloilo State University in Barotac Viejo - Peer Educators. It is not intended to represent the official position or views of Northern Iloilo State University in its entirety.)
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ท๐ฌ๐ฌ๐น ๐ฌ๐ซ๐ผ๐ช๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐น๐บ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
Schools and universities are expected to be places where students can learn, develop, and build relationships without fear of violence or harm. Recent incidents of school violence in the Philippines, however, have reminded educational institutions that safety cannot be taken for granted. Some of these incidents have prompted national discussions on stronger security, early intervention, psychosocial support, and cooperation among schools, families, communities, and government agencies.
In light of these concerns, the ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐จ โ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐, ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ.
School safety, however, cannot depend on security personnel, campus key officials, and the faculty and support staff alone. Research on school safety supports an ecological understanding in which students' experiences are influenced by interconnected factors involving the individual, family and peer relationships, the school environment, and the surrounding community. Therefore, preventing violence requires the participation of everyone who forms part of the environment in which students live and learn.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The Peer Educators believe that a safe university begins with ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ. As students, our actions affect the people around us. Respecting personal boundaries, managing conflicts without violence, avoiding threats and intimidation, refusing to participate in bullying or harassment, and seeking appropriate assistance when difficulties arise are essential responsibilities of every member of the student body.
At the same time, students should not be expected to face problems alone. Friends, classmates, families, and university personnel can serve as important sources of support. Students should be encouraged to speak when they feel unsafe, when they experience harassment or violence, or when they become aware of a credible threat to themselves or others. Seeking help and reporting legitimate safety concerns should be viewed as acts of responsibility rather than weakness.
A safe campus also requires strong institutional systems. Clear reporting procedures, appropriate campus security, emergency preparedness, accessible guidance and counseling and mental health services, anti-harassment mechanisms, and timely responses to reported concerns must work together. Philippine law recognizes mental health promotion within educational institutions, while the Safe Spaces Act specifically requires educational institutions to address gender-based sexual harassment and educate students about reporting mechanisms.
Safety must likewise extend beyond the gates of the university. Families, local government units, health professionals, law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and educational institutions all have roles in creating protective environments.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฒ
As Peer Educators, we therefore appeal to every student in NISU in Barotac Viejo to contribute actively to campus safety.
We encourage students to choose ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐. Do not normalize threats, bullying, harassment, physical aggression, or harmful online behavior as jokes or ordinary parts of student life. When a situation may place someone in danger, report it through the appropriate university channels rather than spreading rumors or handling a serious situation alone.
We also urge students to look after one another without attempting to take the place of trained professionals. A supportive conversation with a friend can matter, but situations involving violence, serious threats, severe distress, harassment, or other safety concerns should be referred to qualified university personnel or appropriate authorities.
Finally, we call for continued cooperation among students, academic and support staff, and community partners. Evidence on school safety shows that unsafe environments are shaped by multiple interacting conditions rather than a single factor, making prevention more effective when protective efforts operate across the different environments surrounding students.
The ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐จ - ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
Preventing school violence is not achieved through stricter security alone. It also requires responsible student behavior, healthy relationships, accessible support, responsive university systems, engaged families, strong community partnerships, and a wider culture that rejects violence and protects human dignity.
Every student contributes to the environment we share. ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ, ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ, ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ค ๐ฎ๐ฉ, ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐ฐ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐๐.
๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ.
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๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press.
Hong, J. S., & Eamon, M. K. (2012). Studentsโ perceptions of unsafe schools: An ecological systems analysis. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(3), 428-438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9494-8
Republic of the Philippines. (2018). Republic Act No. 11036, Mental Health Act.
Republic of the Philippines. (2019). Republic Act No. 11313, Safe Spaces Act.
