Education Secretary Sonny Angara urged parents and guardians to take a more active role in monitoring their children’s online activities, while calling on teachers to strengthen personal connections with learners as schools address growing concerns over student safety and well-being.
Angara emphasized that young people are increasingly exposed to digital influences and stressed the importance of building stronger relationships among learners, teachers, parents, and the wider school community.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us in DepEd to be aware of the problem and take positive steps to address it. We acknowledge the academic gains made by our teachers, but in terms of addressing the emotional problems of our children, we still have crucial work to do,” Angara said following recent school safety incidents, including the latest reported incident in Banga, South Cotabato.
While recognizing the country’s educational gains, including improved performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 and learning recovery through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, Angara said learner safety and mental well-being must remain a priority.
“Bagama’t gumanda ang ating performance sa academics at ang ating worldwide standing sa international rankings, let’s take a step back and examine how we are relating and what kind of school communities we are building,” Angara said. “Dahil iba na po ang pag-iisip ng ating kabataan ngayon. Kilalanin natin iyan at gumawa tayo ng paraan, sama-sama po tayo sa DepEd.”
Alongside strengthening school security measures, Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) is reviewing existing policies to encourage teachers and school personnel to spend more time connecting with learners and checking on their well-being.
Angara also emphasized that while schools have existing cellphone restrictions, policy enforcement alone cannot address the challenges faced by young people. He called on parents and guardians to actively supervise their children’s smartphone and social media use and help them navigate potentially harmful online influences.
DepEd is also expanding its Kaagapay Program nationwide, providing parent communities with practical tools through capacity-building sessions to identify warning signs, address behavioral concerns, and coordinate with school Child Protection Committees (CPCs) and guidance personnel.
Angara likewise highlighted the role of teachers in providing support to learners who may feel isolated or lack a sense of connection at home.
“For those who are very susceptible to influence from whatever they see online, and those who are looking for validation from their families but perhaps do not receive it, let us give them that as their foster parents at school,” Angara said. “Ibigay natin ang pagmamahal at atensyon. Kapag may tagumpay sila, kilalanin at i-acknowledge natin.”
He encouraged educators to practice simple but meaningful interventions, such as learning students’ names, understanding their everyday challenges, and regularly checking on their well-being.
“We can overcome this. But we must acknowledge that there is a mental health epidemic among our youth today and we must look to the roots of this and understand it. Otherwise, I hesitate to say, more people might get hurt. So kilalanin natin iyan at gumawa tayo ng paraan. Sama-sama po tayo sa DepEd,” Angara said.
Angara stressed that keeping learners safe is a shared responsibility, requiring sustained cooperation among schools, parents, and communities to create supportive environments where every Filipino child can learn, feel valued, and remain safe.
