After securing the opening of public schools last week, policemen of the National Capital Region Police Office on Sunday were ordered to remain on their posts as the classes in the private schools would this week.
“This actually means additional areas of operations for our personnel, but there is no problem with that, NCRPO Chief Guillermo Eleazar said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency.
“We have been doing this every year and we are banking on the lessons learned and the experiences of our commanders and personnel on the ground.”
Meanwhile, citing the more than 22,000 cases of bullying in school during school year 2016-2017, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday there was a need to hire more guidance counselors in the schools.
He said the Education department must give priority to the hiring of guidance counselors in elementary and high schools to deter bullying and to support the victims of bullying with the opening of the new school year.
Gatchalian’s call came in the wake of the department’s revelation that there had been more than 22,000 cases of bullying in School Year 2016 to 2017.
“While the 22,059 cases in 2016 to 2017 is a significant decrease from the 32,129 of 2015 to 2016, I was shocked that the number of bullying cases was that high. Gatchalian said.
“Obviously, there is a large room for improvement in terms of support for the mental well-being of our students and teachers.
“We need to make our schools safe places for students. One way I can think of doing that is improving the number of guidance counselors in our schools.”
Eleazar ordered the five police districts in Metro Manila to boost their security measures to include the private schools, saying the police presence near the schools had been proven to deter crimes.
He said students had to be protected since some of them might be carrying payment for their tuition and other school expenses.
“Our focus will be on beat patrols to protect students from out-of-school youth bullies and criminal elements that also include drug traffickers, Eleazar said.
He said police assistance desks would be maintained aside from police foot patrols.
Last week, 7,153 policemen were deployed in various schools in Metro Manila, resulting in a peaceful opening of classes in the public schools.