This paper reports selected findings from a doctoral dissertation on Filipino children's attitudes towards physical punishment. The findings of this research stem from a survey of 270 grade‐six students in Iloilo, Philippines. The results indicated that the majority (61.1%) had experienced physical punishment at home. The most common punishment children received was pinching (74.5%), followed by beatings (49.7%). The chi‐square analysis revealed that more boys than girls were physically punished (p < 0.05). Mothers were found to be the most frequent users of physical punishment. The prevalence of physical punishment at home may be attributed to Philippine law which ‘allows parents to physically punish their children as may be necessary for the formation of his good character’ as reflected in Article 45 of Presidential Decree No. 603, known as ‘The Child and Youth Welfare Code’ (Article 45, PD 603). The tendency of Filipino parents to punish sons more harshly than their daughters could be explained in relation to how boys and girls are regarded in society. Boys are expected to be tough and brave. By administering harsher discipline, parents may believe they are moulding their sons to be strong and to prepare them to be future pillars of society. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This research looked into prevalence rate of bullying victimization and perpetration as well as teachers' response to bullying incidence in the Philippines. A total of 340 sixth graders from five different schools in Western Visayas participated in the study. Slightly more than half (54.1%) of the sample were boys and 45.9% were girls. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data gathered from the survey. Children's self-reports revealed that prevalence rate for victimization was 40.6% and that for perpetration was 23.8%. Similar to previous literature, results also showed that there were significantly more boys than girls who reported to be victims (χ verbal reprimands, temporary removal from class, withdrawal of privileges, and suspension, which were imposed on individuals involved in bullying as bullies. Although all teachers and school personnel were required to report bullying cases they had knowledge of to the child protection committee in their institution, very few did so. These findings suggest the need for a more effective bullying prevention program and a careful examination of the implementing rules and guidelines of RA 10627, otherwise known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013.

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