Report bullying via 911, PNP tells public as school year begins

Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Nicolas Torre III. Inquirer photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — Parents and students can report bullying incidents to the Philippine National Police (PNP) by calling hotline 911, PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said on Monday.

He said police are closely monitoring bullying as one of the key concerns with the official opening of the 2025–2026 school year.

“You can report that to 911. Our call takers’ first response will be to alert the local police stations, which will then coordinate with the school head,” Torre said in an ambush interview when asked if bullying incidents can be reported through the hotline.

“The information might not be reaching the school head for whatever reason, so we’re working together to monitor what’s happening,” he added.

READ: PNP sets 5-minute police response time in a pilot test for Metro Manila

Torre reaffirmed the PNP’s current push for the five-minute emergency response time in Metro Manila. He earlier promised to cut this to three minutes within three months.

The PNP is also monitoring street crimes targeting students.

“These children might get robbed because, of course, they’re still very young. They’re just kids—someone might set them up and take their bag, which could contain a cellphone. Those are the usual targets,” Torre said.

He also assured parents that their children’s safety and learning environment are top priorities.

The PNP has deployed 37,750 police personnel to secure 45,974 schools nationwide.

The PNP earlier announced it would set up 5,079 police assistance desks near school premises, to be manned by 10,759 officers. In addition, 10,687 personnel will be assigned to mobile patrols, while 16,366 will be on foot patrols.

Torre said the heightened police presence in school zones is part of the PNP’s “fixed visibility point prioritization.”/mcm/abc