House bill vs school violence pushed

MANILA, Philippines - Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara pushed yesterday for the approval of a bill that would curb violence in school campuses.

“It is not as sexy or as controversial as other bills but just as timely, if not more urgent as any,” Angara said, referring to the proposed Campus Safety Act, which he authored.

Amid recent acts of violence in campuses, the bill should be the state’s response to clamor from parents and students for tighter campus security, he said.

“Providing a secure environment in school campuses is a measure that we should pass with great urgency. We don’t need another campus killing to persuade us to do something about campus violence,” he said.

“I am a father of two and I feel for parents who invest blood, sweat, and tears for their child’s education only to learn that their son or daughter had been harmed, or worse, killed in school,” Angara added.

The proposed law mandates every school to create a crime prevention committee, which would prepare and oversee the execution of comprehensive security plans inside the school.

“Prevention is at the heart of this measure. In 2010, a study supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund found that seven in 10 students experience violence in school. That’s an alarming number and so pervasive that those who were surveyed believed violence to be part of school life,” Angara said.

Under the bill, schools should be transparent and open about campus crime statistics as well as in-house crime prevention plans.