MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice Action Center (DOJAC), alongside prosecution offices nationwide, has announced that it is now fully equipped to receive and act on complaints related to bullying.
Under the new directive, DOJ offices may evaluate incoming complaints, provide appropriate legal assistance, or refer cases to the proper agencies, depending on the specific circumstances of each incident.
Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato, who chairs the DOJ Law Enforcement Cluster, explained that the initiative aims to bolster the government’s response to bullying by making the department’s resources more accessible to victims and their families.
The move follows the issuance of a memorandum by Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, officially mandating DOJAC and all national prosecution offices to accept bullying-related complaints.
While schools and the Department of Education (DepEd) remain the primary authorities responsible for handling bullying incidents, the new measure provides victims and their parents with an additional avenue for seeking government intervention and support, the DOJ officials said.
Vida signed the memorandum after meeting with 18 regional prosecutors in Clark last week, where he emphasized the urgent need to give victims and their families a platform to be heard by an appropriate government agency.
“Above all, this department order affords victims and their parents an outlet—a chance to voice their concerns before a competent authority,” said Dato.
He clarified that the DepEd continues to bear primary responsibility for addressing and resolving bullying in academic settings.
He added, however, that to lay an additional framework for curbing the rising number of bullying incidents, the full facilities of the DOJ are now open to parents and victims who wish to bring forward or resolve their complaints.
Complaints may be filed either through the DOJAC, which has a presence in nine regions across the country, or via the National Prosecution Service (NPS), which operates 249 offices nationwide.
Dato noted that the DOJAC is the primary recipient of such complaints, supported by the NPS’s extensive network, ensuring that victims and their families have a wider reach and greater access to justice, no matter where they are in the country.
