Short films produced by the Department of Education-Negros Island Region (DepEd-NIR) can now be used as teaching tools to prevent bullying in public schools across the country.
DepEd-NIR spokesperson Almyr Caezar Dequiña said on Wednesday, July 29, that DepEd Advisory No. 133 issued by the central office on July 24 encourages the nationwide use of selected short films of the region’s “Powering Empathy, Acceptance and Connection Every Day” (PEACE) campaign.
“The advisory has been cascaded to the regions, then to the division offices, down to our schools. There is no fixed schedule for viewing. This is left to the discretion of our school heads, teachers and heads of offices,” Dequiña told the Philippine News Agency.
The seven films were chosen out of the 20 entries submitted by each schools division office (SDO) during the DepEd-NIR 1st PEACE Short Film Festival held earlier this year.
These include “Biboy Ba’t Ka Galit?” (SDO Bayawan City), “Ang Lima ka Tayho” (SDO Silay City), “The Weight of Silence” (SDO La Carlota City), “Paghilom” (SDO Siquijor), “Ranir” (SDO Escalante City), “Lapis” (SDO Dumaguete City) and “Himakas” (SDO Bago City).
“It’s an honor for DepEd-NIR. We are proactive towards fighting against bullying and making our schools safe and motivating,” Dequiña said.
The DepEd central office advisory stated that these films may be integrated into relevant learning activities, classroom discussions, guidance and counseling programs, and school-based initiatives that support peacebuilding, conflict-sensitive education, anti-bullying advocacy, learner well-being, and the promotion of safe and motivating learning environments.
Initiated by DepEd-NIR Director Ramir Uytico last year, the PEACE campaign aims to build safe, inclusive and harassment-free schools across the region by institutionalizing school-based activities that prevent bullying and address the underlying causes of student conflict.
The PEACE Short Film Festival is one of the several activities under the initiative.
The full catalog of PEACE short films and their streaming links are available at www.deped.gov.ph, the DepEd NIR official Facebook page, and the DepEd NIR-Learning Resources Management and Development System YouTube channel.*PNA
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