Quick answer

You may file a sexual-harassment complaint through one or more channels, depending on where and how the conduct happened:

At work, school, or training: file a written complaint with the institution’s Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) or designated complaints body.
In a street, public space, public-utility vehicle, or similar place: report the incident to the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the local anti-sexual-harassment unit or enforcer.
Online: report it to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group or the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division.
For criminal prosecution: submit a complaint-affidavit and supporting evidence to the proper city or provincial prosecutor’s office, usually after or with police or NBI assistance.
If the alleged offender is a government employee: file with the employee’s agency for referral to its CODI, subject to the special Civil Service Commission rules discussed below.

An internal complaint and a criminal complaint are different proceedings. Filing with an employer or school does not prevent you from going to the police, NBI, prosecutor, or court. You do not need to wait for an internal investigation to finish if you want law-enforcement assistance.

If you are in immediate danger, move to a safe place and contact emergency services or the nearest police station. Seek prompt medical care if there was physical contact, injury, drugging, or possible sexual assault.

What conduct may qualify as sexual harassment?

Philippine law covers more than demands for sex by a boss or teacher.

Sexual harassment involving authority or influence

Under the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (Republic Act No. 7877), sexual harassment may occur in employment, education, or training when a person who has authority, influence, or moral ascendancy demands, requests, or otherwise requires a sexual favor.

In employment, the conduct may be connected to hiring, continued employment, compensation, promotion, benefits, employment opportunities, labor rights, or an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. In education or training, it may involve a person under the offender’s care or supervision, academic benefits or grades, scholarships, allowances, or a hostile or offensive environment.

The requested sexual favor does not have to be accepted for liability to arise.

Gender-based sexual harassment without a power relationship

The Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act No. 11313) expanded protection to gender-based sexual harassment:

in streets and public spaces;
online;
in workplaces; and
in educational or training institutions.

Unlike the narrower framework under Republic Act No. 7877, workplace or school harassment under the Safe Spaces Act may be committed by a peer, co-worker, classmate, student, subordinate, or other person even without authority or moral ascendancy over the victim.

Covered conduct can include unwanted sexual remarks or jokes, sexist or homophobic slurs, catcalling, persistent requests for personal details, sexual propositions, unwanted touching, stalking, leering, displaying sexual material, repeated unwanted messages, and other unwelcome sexual conduct that affects a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, or humiliating environment.

The law protects people of any sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. The legal question is not simply whether the offender claimed to be joking or flirting. Context, whether the conduct was unwanted, the parties’ relationship, and its effect on the environment all matter.

Online sexual harassment

Online gender-based sexual harassment may include:

unwanted sexual remarks or comments;
threats involving sexual or gender-based violence;
uploading or sharing sexual content without consent;
cyberstalking or persistent unwanted messaging;
unauthorized use of a victim’s photograph, voice, or information;
impersonation intended to harm the victim;
posting lies to damage the victim’s reputation; or
using false platform reports to silence the victim.

Depending on the facts, the same conduct may also implicate laws on photo and video voyeurism, cybercrime, violence against women and children, child sexual abuse or exploitation, threats, coercion, trafficking, rape, or acts of lasciviousness. The police, prosecutor, or a lawyer should identify the correct charges from the evidence; a complainant is not expected to make a final legal classification alone.

Where should you file?

1. Private-sector workplace

Check the company handbook, anti-sexual-harassment policy, employee portal, or posted notices for the CODI or designated receiving officer. Submit a written complaint to the CODI, human-resources office, compliance officer, or another official named in the policy.

If the alleged offender controls HR, sits on the CODI, owns the business, or can influence the investigation, state that conflict in writing and request an impartial alternative. You may also seek assistance from the appropriate Department of Labor and Employment office, particularly if the employer has no complaint mechanism, fails to act, retaliates, or violates its statutory duties.

Employers are required to prevent and address sexual harassment, adopt rules after consultation with employees, create an independent internal mechanism or CODI, protect complainants from retaliation, maintain confidentiality as far as possible, and act on complaints.

2. Government workplace

Under the 2025 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, a sexual-harassment complaint against a government employee is generally filed with the agency or department where that person is employed. The agency should refer it to its CODI.

The Civil Service Commission may take cognizance of the matter in specified situations, including when:

the agency has no CODI;
the complainant or person complained of is a CODI member;
the disciplining authority is the subject of the complaint; or
the agency has unreasonably delayed the required proceedings.

Different rules may apply when the respondent is an elective official, a presidential appointee, or the head of an agency. The proper disciplining authority should be confirmed before filing.

Government administrative liability is separate from possible criminal or civil liability. Withdrawal by the complainant does not automatically terminate an administrative case.

3. School, university, or training institution

File with the school’s CODI, student-affairs office, guidance or safeguarding office, dean, registrar, or other official identified in its policy.

State whether the complaint involves grades, attendance, scholarships, recommendations, supervision, access to facilities, or threats of academic consequences. Ask in writing for reasonable interim protection, such as:

no-contact instructions;
reassignment to another class, section, supervisor, or adviser;
alternative submission or examination arrangements;
preservation of CCTV and institutional records; or
restrictions on direct communication.

A school should not make protection conditional on a face-to-face confrontation with the respondent. If the complainant is a minor, involve a trusted parent, guardian, social worker, or lawyer promptly, unless doing so would create a safety risk.

4. Street, public space, establishment, or public transport

Report to the nearest police station or the PNP Women and Children Protection Desk where available. Give the exact location, time, description of the offender, direction of travel, vehicle plate or route, establishment name, and possible CCTV locations.

A report may also be made to the city or municipal anti-sexual-harassment desk, local enforcers designated under an ordinance, or responsible personnel at the establishment or transport terminal. Ask them immediately to preserve surveillance footage; many systems overwrite recordings quickly.

Reporting to a security guard, driver, platform, or establishment helps preserve evidence but is not necessarily the same as filing a criminal complaint.

5. Online incident

Preserve the evidence before blocking the account or requesting removal. You may seek investigative assistance from:

the NBI Cybercrime Division;
the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group; or
the police station with jurisdiction, which can make the appropriate referral.

The NBI also maintains an online complaint page, but an online submission may not complete every step needed for investigation or prosecution. Follow the agency’s instructions on personal appearance, identification, sworn statements, and presentation of the device or original files.

Report the content to the platform when appropriate, but preserve it first. A platform takedown is not a substitute for a government complaint.

6. Prosecutor’s office

For criminal prosecution, a complaint is generally supported by a sworn complaint-affidavit, witness affidavits, and documentary or electronic evidence. The prosecutor evaluates whether the evidence establishes probable cause and what offense, if any, should be charged.

The Department of Justice’s official preliminary-investigation filing guidance lists documents ordinarily required by the National Prosecution Service, including an Investigation Data Form, complaint-affidavit or sworn statement, witness affidavits, and supporting evidence. Requirements and the number of copies may vary with the offense and filing office, so confirm them with the proper city or provincial prosecutor.

The correct venue can depend on where the act occurred, where an online communication was accessed, and other legally relevant facts. Ask the police, NBI, prosecutor, or counsel to confirm venue rather than filing in several offices indiscriminately.

How to prepare the complaint

A useful complaint is factual, chronological, and specific. Include:

Your name and contact details, subject to any confidentiality protections.
The respondent’s name, position, account name, or physical description.
Your relationship to the respondent.
The date, approximate time, and place of each incident.
The exact words or actions, as accurately as you can remember them.
Why the conduct was unwanted, including any refusal, objection, blocking, avoidance, or earlier warning.
Any connection to work, grades, promotion, benefits, supervision, or retaliation.
The names and contact details of witnesses.
A numbered list of attached evidence.
Any continuing risk, threat, retaliation, or urgent protection requested.
The action you are asking the receiving office to take.

Separate what you personally saw or heard from what another person told you. Do not embellish missing details. It is acceptable to say that you cannot remember an exact date or wording and then give the most reliable approximation.

Ask for a stamped receiving copy, reference number, email acknowledgment, or other proof of submission. Keep a separate copy outside a work or school device that the respondent or institution controls.

Evidence to preserve

Preserve both the content and information showing where it came from.

Original messages, emails, chat exports, voice messages, photographs, and videos
Full-page screenshots showing the account name, date, time, and URL
Screen recordings that show the profile, conversation, and surrounding context
Links,

Quick answer

You may file a sexual-harassment complaint through one or more channels, depending on where and how the conduct happened:

At work, school, or a training institution: report it to the institution’s Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI), human-resources office, designated complaints officer, or head of office.
For a possible criminal case: report to the Philippine National Police, the PNP Women and Children Protection Desk where appropriate, or the National Bureau of Investigation, and file a complaint with the city or provincial prosecutor’s office.
For online harassment: preserve the electronic evidence and approach the PNP’s cybercrime unit or the NBI Cybercrime Division.
If the respondent is a government employee: file with the employee’s agency for referral to its CODI. The Civil Service Commission may act directly in specified situations, such as when there is no CODI, the respondent is part of the complaint machinery, or the agency unreasonably delays the case.

An internal complaint and a criminal complaint serve different purposes. An employer or school may impose administrative sanctions, but only the proper criminal-justice authorities and courts can determine criminal liability. Filing internally does not normally prevent a separate criminal or civil action.

File as soon as safely possible. Some offenses have short prescription periods, and digital evidence can disappear quickly.

What conduct can amount to sexual harassment?

Two principal laws apply: the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995, Republic Act No. 7877, and the Safe Spaces Act, Republic Act No. 11313.

Sexual harassment involving authority or influence

Republic Act No. 7877 covers employment, education, and training situations in which a person with authority, influence, or moral ascendancy demands, requests, or requires a sexual favor. The request need not be accepted.

In employment, the law may apply when the sexual favor is connected with hiring, continued employment, compensation, promotion, privileges, or other employment opportunities; impairs rights under labor laws; or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

In education or training, it may apply when the complainant is under the respondent’s care, custody, or supervision; the respondent has responsibility for the complainant’s education or training; a sexual favor is tied to a grade, honor, scholarship, allowance, or benefit; or the advance creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.

Harassment by a co-worker, peer, subordinate, or other person

The Safe Spaces Act is broader. In workplaces and educational or training institutions, it covers certain unwelcome sexual conduct even without a superior-subordinate relationship. The respondent may be a peer, co-worker, student, teacher, trainee, subordinate, client, contractor, or another person present in the environment.

Covered conduct may include:

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests, demands, or conduct of a sexual nature, whether verbal, physical, or made through technology;
Sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise sex- or gender-based remarks that are unwanted and unreasonable;
Conduct that interferes with a person’s work or education or creates an intimidating, hostile, or humiliating environment; and
Conduct that is unwelcome to the recipient even if the respondent claims it was a joke, compliment, or harmless interaction.

Sexual harassment can affect a person of any sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The surrounding facts still matter: the words or actions used, whether they were unwanted, the parties’ relationship, the setting, repetition or escalation, and the effect on the complainant.

Harassment in streets and public spaces

The Safe Spaces Act also applies in streets and alleys, parks, malls, restaurants, bars, churches, public markets, transport terminals, public-utility vehicles, schools, government offices, and other places accessible to the public.

Potentially covered acts range from unwanted sexual remarks, catcalling, wolf-whistling, persistent requests for personal details, and sexual jokes to stalking, unwanted touching, flashing, masturbation, and other acts of a sexual nature. The precise offense and penalty depend on the act and any prior conviction.

Online sexual harassment

Online gender-based sexual harassment may include:

Unwanted sexual remarks or comments;
Threats involving sexual violence;
Cyberstalking or incessant unwanted messaging;
Uploading or sharing sexual content, recordings, or personal information without consent;
Impersonating a victim online;
Posting lies intended to harm the victim’s reputation; or
Misusing platform-reporting systems to silence a victim.

Other laws may apply when the conduct involves intimate images, threats, coercion, stalking, a child, trafficking, rape, acts of lasciviousness, or violence within an intimate relationship. The police or prosecutor should identify the proper charge from the evidence rather than forcing every incident into a single statute.

Before filing: address immediate safety

If there is immediate danger, move to a secure place and seek police or emergency assistance. Do not meet the respondent alone merely to obtain an admission or additional evidence.

Seek urgent assistance when:

The respondent has threatened violence, suicide, retaliation, or publication of intimate material;
There was forced sexual contact, physical injury, confinement, stalking, or an attempt to enter your home;
The respondent has a weapon or knows your location;
A child is involved;
The conduct is escalating; or
You need immediate medical care or protection at work or school.

After a recent physical or sexual assault, consider obtaining medical care promptly. If you may want forensic documentation, avoid washing clothing or deleting material until a trained professional explains the available options—but necessary medical treatment and personal safety come first.

Preserve evidence

A complaint may proceed even without video footage or an eyewitness. The complainant’s credible testimony is evidence. Still, contemporaneous records can help investigators understand what happened.

Preserve, where available:

Original text messages, emails, chat threads, voice messages, photographs, and videos;
Full-page screenshots showing the account name, date, time, URL, and surrounding conversation;
Downloaded platform data or message exports;
Links, usernames, profile identifiers, phone numbers, and email addresses;
Call logs and recordings lawfully obtained;
CCTV locations and the approximate time of the incident;
Medical records, incident reports, security logs, attendance records, work schedules, or class records;
Employment, grading, scholarship, promotion, or disciplinary documents connected to the conduct;
The names and contact details of witnesses or people told soon afterward;
Prior complaints involving the same respondent, if legitimately known and obtainable; and
A dated personal chronology written while events are still fresh.

Keep original files unchanged. Save working copies in a secure location or account that the respondent cannot access. Do not crop the only copy, edit metadata, or rely exclusively on disappearing messages.

Ask an employer, school, building administrator, transport operator, or establishment in writing to preserve relevant CCTV footage and access logs. Many systems overwrite footage automatically. Note when the request was sent and retain proof of delivery.

Avoid publicly reposting intimate images or sensitive evidence. Provide them only through secure channels to investigators, counsel, or the proper complaints body.

How to prepare the complaint

A clear complaint should identify:

The complainant and reliable contact information;
The respondent, or all available identifying information if the person’s legal name is unknown;
The parties’ employment, school, training, or other relationship;
What was said or done, using specific facts rather than only conclusions;
The date, approximate time, place, and platform involved;
Why the conduct was unwelcome;
Any connection to employment, grades, benefits, promotion, supervision, or retaliation;
What happened after the incident;
The witnesses and available documents or electronic evidence; and
The protection or action being requested.

Use chronological order. If an exact date or quotation is uncertain, say so instead of guessing. Separate what you personally saw or heard from information learned from someone else.

For a criminal complaint, authorities will usually require a signed complaint-affidavit or sworn statement and supporting affidavits and documents. The Department of Justice publishes the current basic requirements for a complaint for preliminary investigation, including its Investigation Data Form and the required number of copies. Requirements may vary with the offense and filing office, so confirm them with the prosecutor’s office that will receive the case.

Filing a workplace complaint

Private-sector workplace

Check the company’s anti-sexual-harassment policy and identify its CODI or independent internal mechanism. Submit the complaint through the stated confidential channel. If the respondent controls that channel, report to another authorized officer, the head office, board, compliance office, union, or other independent recipient identified in the policy.

In the written complaint, request:

A dated acknowledgment and complaint reference number;
The applicable policy and procedure;
Confidential handling to the greatest extent allowed by due process;
Protection against retaliation;
Preservation of email, CCTV, access, scheduling, and personnel records;
Reasonable interim measures; and
Written notice of the outcome allowed under law and policy.

Possible interim measures include changing reporting lines, schedules, seating, access rights, or work locations. They should protect the complainant without functioning as punishment or an involuntary demotion.

An employer must maintain preventive policies, an internal mechanism or CODI, and procedures for investigating complaints. Under Republic Act No. 7877, an employer or head of office that is informed of harassment and fails to take immediate action may become solidarily liable for resulting damages. The Safe Spaces Act separately imposes responsibilities on employers and sanctions certain failures to perform them.

For labor-related assistance, a worker may approach the appropriate Department of Labor and Employment office. DOLE’s role depends on the issue presented; it does not replace the prosecutor in a criminal case or automatically decide every internal disciplinary dispute.

Government workplace

The CSC may take cognizance of the case in specified circumstances, including when:

The agency has no CODI;
The complainant or respondent is a CODI member;
The disciplining authority is the respondent; or
The agency exceeds applicable periods by more than 30 days without justifiable reason.

If the respondent is the head of office, an elective official, or a presidential appointee, jurisdiction may belong to a different disciplining authority. Confirm the correct forum before filing.

Administrative penalties in government vary according to the classified offense and proven facts. They may range from reprimand to dismissal. Withdrawal by the complainant does not necessarily end the administrative case.

Filing a complaint at a school or training institution

Submit the complaint to the institution’s CODI, designated safeguarding or complaints officer, student-affairs office, dean, school head, or governing authority identified in its policy.

Ask for:

Immediate measures preventing unnecessary contact with the respondent;
Preservation of CCTV, class, attendance, grading, and online-learning records;
Protection against grade manipulation, removal from a course, intimidation, or retaliation;
A support person during interviews when permitted;
Age-appropriate procedures if the complainant is a minor; and
Written information about the process and available review or appeal.

A school should not require the complainant to confront or privately mediate with the respondent as a condition for accepting a sexual-harassment report. A voluntary resolution process, if legally and institutionally available, should never replace urgent protective measures or prevent access to criminal authorities.

If the respondent is employed by a public school, state university, or other government institution, civil-service disciplinary rules may also apply. For minors, the institution, police, social-welfare authorities, and parents or lawful guardians may have additional responsibilities under child-protection laws.

Filing a criminal complaint

You may begin by reporting to:

The local police station;
A PNP Women and Children Protection Desk, particularly when the complainant is a woman or child or the case involves gender-based violence;
The appropriate PNP cybercrime office for online conduct;
An NBI office, including its Cybercrime Division for computer-related evidence; or
The city or provincial prosecutor’s office with territorial authority over the offense.

The NBI publishes its procedure for investigative assistance to victims of computer crimes and a directory of its divisions and services.

Bring valid identification, the complaint-affidavit if already prepared, copies of the evidence, witness information, and a clear chronology. Keep the originals secure unless an investigator formally receives them. Ask for an acknowledgment, blotter or reference number, and the investigator’s office details.

The police or NBI may investigate and refer the evidence for prosecution. The prosecutor evaluates whether the evidence supports filing an information in court. Reporting an incident does not guarantee that a particular charge will be filed, because the proper offense and required evidence depend on the facts.

If the incident occurred online, jurisdiction and evidence collection can be complicated when the respondent, complainant, platform, or server is in another location. File promptly and let cybercrime investigators determine what preservation requests, warrants, or international processes may be necessary.

Can several complaints be filed at the same time?

Often, yes. The same conduct may support:

An internal administrative complaint;
A civil-service case;
A criminal complaint;
A civil action for damages; or
A labor, professional-regulatory, school, or licensing complaint.

These proceedings have different purposes and standards. An employer’s decision does not automatically control the prosecutor or court. Likewise, a criminal case’s result does not necessarily resolve every employment or administrative issue.

Tell each forum about related proceedings when its forms or rules require disclosure. Do not sign a quitclaim, settlement, confidentiality agreement, resignation, or withdrawal without understanding its possible effect on all pending and future claims.

Deadlines and prescription

Do not wait for an internal investigation to finish before checking the criminal deadline.

Under Republic Act No. 7877, an action arising from a violation prescribes in three years.

Under Section 36 of the Safe Spaces Act, the statutory periods are:

One year for offenses under Section 11(a);
Three years for offenses under Section 11(b);
Ten years for offenses under Section 11(c);
Ten years for online gender-based sexual harassment under Section 12; and
Five years for gender-based sexual harassment in workplaces and educational or training institutions under Section 15.

Which category applies depends on the proven conduct. Other possible crimes and civil or administrative claims have their own deadlines. Questions about when prescription began, whether it was interrupted, continuing conduct, delayed discovery, or incidents involving children require fact-specific legal analysis.

Internal policies may also set reporting or appeal periods. Even where an administrative complaint may be filed at any time under the applicable government rules, that does not extend a criminal prescriptive period.

Confidentiality and retaliation

Employers and institutions must protect complainants from retaliation and preserve confidentiality to the greatest extent possible, while still giving the respondent due process.

Document any retaliation separately, including:

Threats or pressure to withdraw;
Demotion, dismissal, undesirable reassignment, or loss of shifts;
Sudden adverse grades or exclusion from activities;
Harassing messages or surveillance;
Disclosure of private complaint details;
Witness intimidation; or
Coordinated attacks on social media.

Report retaliation immediately in writing and attach it to the pending complaint. If it includes threats, stalking, coercion, or violence, make a separate police report.

Confidentiality does not mean absolute secrecy. Information may have to be disclosed to the respondent, investigators, witnesses, disciplining authorities, prosecutors, or courts as required for a fair proceeding. Ask the receiving office to explain who will receive the complaint and how records will be secured.

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for perfect evidence. File or seek advice before a short prescription period expires.
Deleting or blocking before preserving evidence. Safety comes first, but capture identifiers and messages when this can be done safely.
Keeping only cropped screenshots. Preserve the full conversation, URL, timestamps, and original files.
Using a work or school account controlled by the respondent. Keep secure copies elsewhere.
Assuming an HR report is automatically a criminal complaint. Criminal filing normally requires action through law-enforcement and prosecution channels.
Assuming a police blotter completes the case. Ask what affidavits, evidence, referral, or prosecutor filing must follow.
Posting all evidence publicly. Public disclosure can expose private information, alert the respondent, complicate evidence preservation, or create separate legal risks.
Signing documents under pressure. Read any resignation, settlement, waiver, or withdrawal carefully and obtain independent advice when possible.
Confronting the respondent alone. Use formal channels and request safety measures.
Guessing dates or exaggerating details. Accuracy and candid identification of uncertainty strengthen credibility.

When legal help is especially important

Seek prompt advice from a Philippine lawyer, the Public Attorney’s Office if eligible, or another qualified legal-assistance provider when:

A deadline may be near;
The conduct included assault, coercion, threats, stalking, or intimate images;
The complainant is a child or person requiring assistance;
The respondent is a company owner, school head, senior official, police officer, lawyer, doctor, or other regulated professional;
The employer or school refuses to accept the complaint;
There is retaliation or pressure to resign or withdraw;
The proper prosecutor, disciplining authority, or territorial venue is unclear;
The incident happened partly outside the Philippines; or
A settlement, quitclaim, nondisclosure agreement, or counter-complaint has been proposed.

Frequently asked questions

Must the victim say “no” for the conduct to be harassment?

Not necessarily. The issue is whether the conduct was unwelcome, assessed from the words, actions, circumstances, relationship, and available evidence. Freezing, avoiding the respondent, complying because of fear or authority, or not confronting the person immediately does not by itself establish consent.

Is a single incident enough?

It can be. Some offenses can be completed by one act. Repetition may strengthen proof or affect the applicable category, but it is not a universal requirement.

Can harassment be committed through chat or social media?

Yes. The Safe Spaces Act expressly covers technology-facilitated conduct and online gender-based sexual harassment. Workplace or school harassment can also occur through email, messaging applications, video calls, or online learning and collaboration systems.

Can a woman harass a man, or can the parties have the same sex?

Yes. Protection is not limited to a particular sex or combination of sexes. Liability depends on the conduct and statutory requirements.

Can I complain if the harasser is my co-worker and not my supervisor?

Yes. The Safe Spaces Act covers certain harassment between peers and by a subordinate toward a superior. Republic Act No. 7877 separately addresses cases involving authority, influence, or moral ascendancy.

Do I need an eyewitness?

No. A case is not automatically defeated because the incident occurred privately. Your sworn account may be considered together with messages, surrounding circumstances, contemporaneous reports, behavioral evidence, and other corroboration.

Can I file anonymously?

Anonymous reports may help an institution identify risks, but they can limit investigation and due process. Government administrative rules permit anonymous complaints only in specified circumstances supported by verifiable or sufficient evidence. Ask the receiving office about confidential, pseudonymous, or third-party reporting options.

Can I withdraw the complaint later?

A complainant may communicate a wish to withdraw, but withdrawal does not always terminate an administrative or criminal matter. The institution or State may continue when the evidence and applicable rules permit. Obtain advice before signing a withdrawal or affidavit of desistance.

What if HR or the school ignores the complaint?

Send a written follow-up, retain proof of receipt, and escalate through the institution’s head office, governing body, regulator, union, DOLE, CSC, or other proper authority. Do not allow internal delay to consume a criminal filing deadline.

What penalties can be imposed?

The answer depends on the exact offense, its statutory category, prior convictions where relevant, and whether the case is criminal or administrative. Possible consequences include workplace or school discipline, dismissal from government service, fines, community service, imprisonment, and civil damages. Only the proper authority or court can impose the applicable sanction after due process.

Official legal sources

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice or a prediction of any case’s outcome. Procedures and the correct legal remedy depend on the facts, evidence, location, parties, and governing institutional rules. Official sources and procedures were checked as of July 24, 2026.