Dear PAO,

I am married, but I had an affair with a married co-worker for one year. Four months ago, I ended that relationship because my seafarer husband returned home. I decided to work on our marriage for the sake of our only child. Since I told my ex about my choice, he has been sending me threatening, humiliating, and insulting messages almost every day. These include threats to damage my property, reveal our affair to our officemates and my husband, and share my intimate photos. What legal remedies are available to me in this situation?

Raya

Dear Raya,

Republic Act (RA) 9262, otherwise known as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004 (VAWC), gives you strong legal remedies. The law covers violence done by a person who has or had a sexual or dating relationship with the woman, including those arising from an extramarital relationship.

The acts you talked about may constitute psychological violence, harassment, and threats that cause or are likely to cause a lot of emotional or psychological distress. Repeated threatening and humiliating messages can be considered VAWC if they are done on purpose, knowingly, or carelessly and cause fear or significant emotional or psychological distress, including “harassment,” and actions that cause “mental or emotional anguish, public ridicule or humiliation” as provided in Section 5(h) of RA No. 9262 which states:

“Section 5. Acts of Violence Against Women and Their Children.- The crime of violence against women and their children is committed through any of the following acts:

“xxx

“(h) Engaging in purposeful, knowing, or reckless conduct, personally or through another, that alarms or causes substantial emotional or psychological distress to the woman or her child. This shall include, but not be limited to, the following acts: xxx

“(5) Engaging in any form of harassment or violence;”

In the case of Sedenio vs. People (G.R. No. 276927, January 19, 2026), the Supreme Court through Honorable Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario, ruled that a series of text messages containing humiliating and threatening contents together with the victim’s credible testimony, may be sufficient to establish emotional or psychological distress even in the absence of medical evidence or expert testimony:

“Thus, to prove emotional anguish or mental suffering, for instance, jurisprudence only requires that the testimony of the victim be presented in court, as their experiences are personal to them.

“Similarly, whether a victim experienced alarm or substantial emotional or psychological distress as a result of the harassment inflicted upon her is an experience that is particular to her. Xxx

“In the instant case, the prosecution established that petitioner, through a series of text messages over multiple months, threatened to humiliate AAA before her creditors; threatened to potentially harm her and her mother; accused her of embezzling money; stated that the ‘only contribution’ of her new lover is ‘his penis;’ said that she humiliated herself by calling the police; threatened to file a police blotter against her; called her dumb; and threatened to show everyone in xxxxxx a photograph of her and petitioner in bed with no clothes, among others. AAA testified that as a result of such text messages, she experienced mental anguish, sleepless nights for around six months, and besmirched reputation. She could no longer look her neighbors in the eyes out of fear that they were laughing at her.

“Based on the foregoing, We agree with the finding that AAA experienced alarm or substantial emotional or psychological distress at the hands of petitioner.”

Thus, the acts committed against you may fall under RA 9262, because repeated harassment, intimidation, and threat may lead to psychological violence. You can file a criminal case and ask for immediate protective relief, such as a barangay or permanent protection order to stop your former boyfriend from bothering you, and to protect your dignity, security, and peace of mind.

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to [email protected]