iACADEMY

For today’s learners, safety extends far beyond campus walls. It exists in one interconnected ecosystem where physical safety, mental wellness, and digital citizenship are inseparable. 

Recognizing this new reality, iACADEMY gathered government agencies, education, and industry leaders through Share XP 2026, the school’s annual inter-school safety and wellness forum, to learn from each other and do better, together, for Filipino children. 

“When government support, educational leadership, and parental love move in the same direction, our schools become more than just safe—they become unstoppable grounds for our children’s potential.” said Raquel Perez-Wong, iACADEMY President and COO.

Interconnected environment, guardrails, and counselors 

Representing crucial legislative support was Atty. Asmenah Barambangan, the Chief Technical Specialist of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2). According to her, today’s child no longer moves between online and offline worlds. They experience one continuous, interconnected environment: a classroom disagreement can continue in a group chat by evening; a friendship formed in school grows into an online community. She emphasized that child protection must be designed around this reality, and that the question isn’t whether children should use technology, but how they experience it and who experiences it with them.

Mary Lizabeth Lu, President of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), addressed the pervasive influence of online media. She outlined three concrete guardrails available to every parent and school today: parental controls across gaming platforms and devices, content ratings that classify games by age-appropriateness, and digital conduct education that teaches children how to behave online. 

“Technology is a tool,” Lu said. “It is neither good nor bad in itself. What we need is to equip ourselves and our children, educate them so that they are empowered to protect themselves while being in this wonderful digital world that we are in.”

During the panel discussion, DepEd representative Atty. Razzel Anne Requesto shared that the department deploys rapid mental health screening tools and learner health assessments throughout the school year, enabling early identification of at-risk students. They are also strategically deploying school counselor associates to extend mental health support to more students across the country. 

Also during the discussion, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda directed schools and parents to call 1326 or email 1326.gov.ph when a child encounters violent digital content. Reports coming into DICT are scanned and processed by AI, then the agency coordinates with NBI, DOJ, or DepEd within 24 hours. A national Threat Monitoring Center is also set to be inaugurated next month as a one-stop command post for online harm response. 

Building a Safe Space

At the heart of the forum was iACADEMY’s own Safe Space framework, a multi-layered system that combines strengthened physical security, including digital turnstiles, metal detector screenings, and CCTV monitoring, with mental health support led by its guidance and counseling team, and its long-running “We are Bullyproof” campaign. Going a step further, the institution held mandatory tactical response simulations and emergency preparedness seminars for its faculty and staff to ensure swift, trauma-informed action during unforeseen crises.  

School Principal Paolo Antonio Noceda and Guidance Head Anna Fernandez presented these initiatives not as a finished model, but as a working blueprint open for other schools to adopt.

“We will help you set up safety structures,” said Fernandez. “Because a safe school is good but a network of safe schools is what actually protects our children.” 

In a landmark move, iACADEMY announced the inaugural Safe Space Grant, awarded to high schools that presented their own safety initiatives at the forum. The grant reflects iACADEMY’s commitment to moving beyond its own campus to equip other schools with the resources they need to build safer environments for their own students.

“Institutional readiness isn’t just a policy; it’s a life-saving necessity,” said Noceda. “When parents drop their kids off in the morning, there is an unspoken trust: ‘I am giving you my world. Keep them safe.’ We take that trust deeply to our heart.”