ABSTRACT: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the campus bullying experiences

of senior high school students in a certain secondary school at Davao City, Philippines. Three senior high
school students who experienced bullying in the campus were chosen through purposive sampling. In-
depth interview, observation and field notes were utilized in the gathering of data. The study ensured
that ethical considerations were observed during its conduct. It highly followed the components of
trustworthiness namely credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability to ensure the
validity of the qualitative data. Based on the narratives and thematic analysis, study revealed that
victims of bullying experienced name-calling or verbal abuse, physical bullying, and social
discrimination. Passivity, optimism and perseverance, and peer-support system help students cope with
the adverse and traumatic experiences of bullying. Along with the insights and realizations, the study
emphasized that campus bullying leads to emotional distress and low self-esteem, bullies should be
sensitive to others‘ emotions, and bullying should be minimized, if not avoided, in the school. Hence, a
call to address such predicament is highly encouraged in order to create a learning environment where
students are safe and protected from any form of abuse.

INTRODUCTION: School as a learning environment is not exempted with bullying. Students have
experienced physical and verbal forms of bullying even inside the campus which greatly affect
their morale as an individual, their motivation, and passion for learning. In the senior high school
level, campus bullying is still very rampant despite the expectation that at this stage, students are
already mature enough in terms of their attitudes and behaviors towards people around them.
Philippine Republic Act No. 10627 otherwise known as Anti-bullying Act of 2013 defines bullying as ―
any slanderous act or statement of accusation that causes the victim emotional distress like directing
foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on
victim‘s looks, clothes, and body‖. Bullying has become a pervasive problem in the United States.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly a third of all students aged 12 - 18
reported having been bullied at school in 2007, some almost daily. Fifty-six percent of students
have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school. In the school year 2008–2009, students
ages, 28.0 percent of students ages 12 through 18, reported they were bullied at school, and 6.0
percent, reported they were cyber-bullied anywhere whether on or off school property (Siddiqui,
2018). In the Philippines, a survey conducted revealed that bullying or abuse is experienced by one in
two Filipino school children. This was backed up with an Australian newspaper stating that 50
percent of Filipino students are being bullied in school. Also, the students in the Philippines had led
the record of different types of bullying which include being made fun of or being called names,
left out of activities by others and made to do things the student did not want to (Ancho & Park, 2013).
Davao City Health Office also reported that bullying in school is a major concern since it exists in almost
every school there is in Davao City. This unwanted act is prevalent not only in private educational
institutions but also in public schools. The Office encouraged the Department of Education to also look
into their backyards and do what is necessary (Sumalinog 2015).

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Presented in the succeeding paragraphs are the significant literatures,
related readings, and previous studies about campus bullying which gave wider understanding and
perspective about this phenomenon. Schools are considered to be one of the safest places where
children are seen on a daily basis and are under the supervision of teachers who are trained and
equipped caregivers. Children are victims of all forms of abuse, punishment, neglect, discrimination,
and ill-treatment within the school setting. Though there are various policies and programs at the
international and national levels, addressing child protection has been a serious challenge for every
community. Children need to be protected and any acts that hamper their well-being and safety
need to be curbed (Thomas, Jose, & Kumar, 2018). In the study of Banzon-Librojo, Garabiles, and
Alampay (2017), the experiences of harsh teacher discipline predicted higher bullying victimization and
students' negative perception of teacher support. The findings suggest that school discipline
strategies may have repercussions on students' behaviors and relationships, highlighting the
teacher's role in modeling and setting norms for acceptable behaviors. Likewise, Andreou (2001)
emphasized that both bullying and victimization are associated with self-evaluations in diverse
domains and emotional coping strategies in conflictual peer interactions. Bully/victims are a distinct
group in terms of low levels of social acceptance and problem-solving ability. Evidence exists of
considerable problems with bullying and bullied children in secondary schools. In the largest survey in
the United Kingdom to date, ten percent of pupils reported that they had been bullied ―sometimes or
more often‖ during that term, with four percent reporting being bullied ―at least once a week.‖ The
impact of the introduction of policies on bullying throughout a school seems to be limited. The most
common type of bullying is general name-calling, followed by being hit, threatened, or having rumors
spread about one. Bullying is thought to be more prevalent among boys and the youngest pupils in a
school. We are unaware of any study that has examined the mental health problems of children
who are being bullied. We assessed self-reported anxiety, depression, and self-esteem in bullied
children and those who were not bullied and in bullies and those who were not bullies (Salmon, James
& Smith, 1998). Seeking help was the most recommended with significant national differences notably
for social exclusion. Victims were thought not to seek help for several reasons, again varying by
nationality (Kanetsuna, Smith, & Morita, 2006). In the study of Naylor & Cowie (1999), teachers'
and pupils' perceptions and experiences of peer support systems in challenging bullying in U.K.
(mainly English) secondary schools and colleges have been found to be effective in reducing the
negative effects of bullying for victims. Collectively, the respondents also perceived many
important benefits to users of these systems, to peer supporters and to the school as a whole,
including helping to create a socio-emotional climate of ―care‖. The respondents also perceived
problems with these systems and, importantly, how they have been overcome and might be further
improved. It has been suggested that the mental health of school children can be undermined by
repeated bullying at school and further exacerbated by having inadequate social support. To
evaluate this claim, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was administered anonymously to
845 adolescent schoolchildren attending coeducational secondary schools in South Australia,
together with measures of the extent to which each reported being bullied at school and the
social support available to them. Multiple regression analyses indicated that for both sexes
frequent peer victimization and low social support contributed significantly and independently to
relatively poor mental health (Rigby, 2000). Whitted and Dupper (2005) emphasized that reducing
violence in schools is a major concern of educators, parents, and legislators. Violence manifests
itself in numerous ways, and there is growing evidence that low-level or underlying forms of violence
have a profound effect on the learning environment of the school. Bullying is the most prevalent
form of low-level violence in schools today and, if left unchecked, can lead to more serious forms
of violence. Consequently, an essential aspect of school violence prevention is the identification and
implementation of interventions and strategies designed to prevent or reduce bullying in schools.