1) Core legal framework

A. Republic Act No. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004)

RA 9262 is the primary law addressing violence committed against:

Women (including those in non-marital relationships), and
Their children (minor children and, in many contexts, those under the woman’s care and custody).

It recognizes that abuse can be physical, sexual, psychological, and economic, and it provides:

Criminal prosecution for specified acts of violence,
Protection orders (barangay, temporary, permanent),
Civil reliefs including support, custody-related reliefs, residence-related reliefs, and damages.

B. Family Code provisions on support

Independent of RA 9262, the Family Code governs support:

Who must support: parents must support their children (legitimate or illegitimate).
What support includes: everything indispensable for sustenance, dwelling, clothing, medical attendance, education, and transportation, consistent with the family’s means.
How amount is set: proportionate to the resources/means of the giver and the needs of the recipient.
Enforcement: support obligations can be compelled through court action, and arrears can be pursued under appropriate orders.

C. Special rules and courts

Cases under RA 9262 are generally handled by Family Courts (or designated courts where Family Courts are not available).
Proceedings may involve criminal and civil components, sometimes in parallel.

2) Relationship coverage: why a “live-in partner” is covered

RA 9262 is not limited to spouses. It covers violence committed by a person who is or was in any of these relationships with the woman:

Spouse or former spouse
A person with whom the woman has or had a dating relationship
A person with whom the woman has or had a sexual relationship
A person with whom she has a common child
In practice, a live-in partner typically falls within dating/sexual relationship and often also common child.

Key takeaway: Marriage is not required for RA 9262 protection and prosecution.

3) What counts as economic and psychological abuse under RA 9262

A. Economic abuse (economic violence)

Economic abuse is recognized as a form of violence when it involves acts that make the woman or her child financially dependent, deprived, controlled, or destabilized.

Common examples in a live-in setting:

Withholding child support or refusing to give money for food, schooling, medical needs
Controlling all finances, confiscating income, forcing turnover of salary, restricting access to bank accounts/e-wallets
Preventing employment, sabotaging work, harassment at workplace, forcing resignation
Destroying property needed for livelihood (phone, laptop, tools, documents), or selling household items to deprive
Creating debt in the woman’s name, coercing loans, threatening exposure unless she signs obligations
Evicting or threatening eviction, cutting utilities, or using the shared home as leverage to force compliance
Gambling, substance spending, or reckless dissipation of family resources while refusing children’s necessities
Financial monitoring and punishment (allowance only if she obeys, “fines,” forced budgeting with humiliation)

Economic abuse becomes especially actionable when it results in deprivation of support, coerces dependence, or causes fear and insecurity regarding basic needs.

B. Psychological violence (psychological abuse)

Psychological violence includes acts or omissions causing mental or emotional suffering, including but not limited to:

Intimidation, harassment, stalking, threats
Public humiliation, shaming, insults, constant verbal degradation
Coercive control (restricting movement, isolating from family/friends, monitoring communications)
Threats to take the child away, or weaponizing custody/visitation
Threats of self-harm or harm to others to control the woman
Threats to reveal private/intimate images or information (including “revenge porn” type threats)
Repeated infidelity used as a tool of humiliation or intimidation, especially when paired with threats or coercion
Gaslighting and sustained manipulation designed to break confidence or independence
Forcing the woman/child to witness violence, or constant hostility in the home

In RA 9262 practice, psychological violence is often proven through:

The woman’s credible testimony describing anguish, fear, panic, depression, trauma symptoms
Corroboration: messages, recordings (where lawfully obtained), witnesses, medical/psychological notes, social worker reports, journal entries, police blotter, barangay records
Expert testimony can be helpful, but cases often turn on credible narration plus corroborative circumstances.

4) The child support dimension: rights and obligations in non-marital situations

A. The child’s right to support

A child’s right to support is independent of:

The parents’ marital status,
The quality of the adult relationship,
Whether the father is currently cohabiting.

The child is entitled to support from the biological parent (and in certain situations, from a parent by adoption or lawful status).

B. Establishing paternity (frequent issue with live-in partners)

If paternity is disputed, child support enforcement often requires addressing paternity through:

Birth certificate acknowledgment (father’s signature/recognition)
Written admissions, consistent support history, public/private recognition
Court processes that may include DNA testing if contested and ordered under proper procedures

Practical impact: In RA 9262 filings, protection and interim support measures may still be sought while paternity issues are litigated, but long-term support orders are strongest when paternity is clearly established.

C. Amount of support

Courts typically consider:

Child’s needs: food, shelter, schooling, medical, transportation, special needs
Father’s (or support-giver’s) capacity: salary, business income, assets, lifestyle indicators
Mother’s capacity is not a basis to excuse the father; it may affect computation, but the obligation remains.

Support may be structured as:

Fixed monthly amount
Percentage of income
Direct payment of tuition/medical plus a monthly cash component
In-kind support is generally disfavored if it becomes a control tool; courts prefer reliable and accountable methods.

5) Remedies under RA 9262: protection orders and the reliefs that matter for economic/psychological abuse

RA 9262’s most immediate remedies are Protection Orders, which can include robust economic and child-related reliefs.

A. Barangay Protection Order (BPO)

Generally addresses imminent danger and orders the respondent to stop specific acts (often focused on physical threats/harassment).
Issued quickly at the barangay level.
Limited scope compared to court-issued orders.

B. Temporary Protection Order (TPO)

Issued by the court on an expedited basis.
Useful when the woman and child need urgent enforceable orders (including removal, stay-away, support directives).

C. Permanent Protection Order (PPO)

Issued after notice and hearing.
Provides longer-term structure: support, custody, residence, no-contact, financial protections.

D. Typical protection-order reliefs particularly relevant to economic and psychological abuse

Depending on the facts, courts may order one or more of the following:

1) Stay-away / no-contact / anti-harassment orders

Prohibit threats, stalking, messaging, workplace harassment
Include children’s school/daycare and the woman’s workplace

2) Removal from the residence / exclusion

Respondent may be removed from the home to protect the woman/child, even if property title issues are complicated, when safety requires it.

3) Possession and use of the family dwelling

Court can grant the woman and child the right to remain, to avoid homelessness as a coercive tactic.

4) Custody and visitation controls

Temporary custody to the woman is common when safety is at issue.
Visitation may be:
- Supervised,
- At a neutral exchange point,
- Suspended or restricted when there are threats/harassment.
Courts focus on best interests of the child and safety.

5) Support orders (including child support)

Courts can direct the respondent to provide support on an interim or continuing basis.
Courts may structure payment methods to prevent manipulation (e.g., deposit to account, remittance, payroll deduction where feasible).

6) Protection of property and financial resources

Prohibit the respondent from selling, encumbering, or destroying property needed for the woman/child
Order return of personal property (IDs, devices, documents)
Prevent dissipation of assets as leverage

7) Damages

RA 9262 recognizes the possibility of damages (including actual, moral, exemplary, and attorney’s fees where justified), particularly where economic/psychological harm is severe and proven.

6) Criminal case under RA 9262: how economic and psychological abuse become prosecutable

A. Criminal liability

RA 9262 makes certain acts of violence criminal. Economic and psychological abuse can support criminal charges when they fall within the law’s defined acts, especially:

Deprivation or threat of deprivation of financial support as a control mechanism
Harassment, threats, intimidation, coercive control causing mental/emotional suffering

B. Evidence patterns that commonly support prosecution

For economic abuse:

Proof of the child’s needs (receipts, school assessments, medical bills)
Proof of respondent’s capacity (payslips, business permits, bank movements if lawfully obtainable, lifestyle evidence)
Proof of refusal/withholding and coercive context (messages: “I won’t give unless…”, “leave me and you get nothing”)

For psychological abuse:

Message threads, call logs, social media harassment, threats
Witness testimony (neighbors, relatives, coworkers, teachers)
Medical/psychological consults, barangay blotter entries, police reports
Demonstrated behavior pattern (not isolated petty quarrels but sustained abuse/control)

7) Child support through RA 9262 vs. separate Family Code actions

A. Support as part of RA 9262 protection orders

One major advantage of RA 9262 is that it can deliver fast, enforceable interim relief:

Support can be ordered alongside safety restrictions.
This is critical when the respondent uses money as control.

B. Separate petition for support (Family Code-based)

A separate support case may be pursued when:

Primary issue is support computation and enforcement,
There is no ongoing violence but support is still being refused,
Paternity litigation is central (depending on strategy and local practice).

C. Using both strategically

In real disputes involving abuse:

RA 9262 can stabilize safety and immediate finances through a TPO/PPO.
A separate support case can refine long-term computation and enforcement mechanisms, especially for arrears and detailed income analysis.

8) Common scenarios and the remedies that fit

Scenario 1: Live-in partner refuses child support after separation and sends threats

Likely remedies:

TPO/PPO with no-contact, stay-away, anti-harassment
Child support order with defined payment method and schedule
Orders preventing respondent from contacting the child’s school except as authorized
Possible damages if threats caused documented psychological harm

Scenario 2: Partner controls money while cohabiting, prohibits work, humiliates and monitors communications

Likely remedies:

Protection order addressing coercive control
Orders allowing the woman access to her documents, phone, accounts
Orders prohibiting interference with employment
Support and residence orders to enable safe separation if needed

Scenario 3: Partner threatens to “take the child” unless the woman returns

Likely remedies:

Immediate protection order with custody placement and restrictions on child pickup
Coordination with school/daycare on authorized pickup persons
Police/barangay documentation to support urgency

Scenario 4: Partner claims “illegitimate child, so I don’t have to support”

Legal reality:

Illegitimacy does not remove the obligation of support.
The main hurdle is often paternity proof, not entitlement.

9) Where to file, who may file, and key procedural notes

A. Who may file

Typically:

The woman victim may file on her own behalf and on behalf of her child.
In some situations, authorized persons or agencies may assist or file depending on circumstances involving minors and incapacity, subject to procedural rules.

B. Where to file (venue and jurisdiction in practical terms)

RA 9262 cases are generally filed in the proper court (Family Court/designated court) where allowed by law and rules.
In practice, it is often filed where the woman or child resides, or where the acts occurred, depending on applicable procedural rules and the relief sought.

C. Barangay conciliation

Disputes involving violence against women and children are generally not treated as ordinary disputes appropriate for mandatory barangay conciliation; safety and public policy considerations dominate.

D. Timeline realities

Protection orders are designed to be fast relative to ordinary civil cases.
Criminal prosecution can take longer, but protection orders can provide immediate relief while the criminal case proceeds.

10) Enforcement: making support and protection orders real

A. Enforcement mechanisms

Depending on the order:

Law enforcement assistance for no-contact/stay-away and removal orders
Court processes for enforcement of support orders (including contempt where appropriate)
Orders structured with traceable payment channels to reduce excuses and manipulation

B. Noncompliance consequences

Violation of protection orders can trigger:

Arrest or criminal consequences (subject to lawful procedures)
Additional criminal liability
Adverse findings affecting custody/visitation arrangements

11) Defenses and pitfalls (and how courts commonly view them)

A. “We were not married”

Not a defense under RA 9262 if the relationship falls under dating/sexual relationship or there is a common child.

B. “It’s just a lovers’ quarrel”

Courts look for patterns of control, intimidation, deprivation, and credible evidence of mental/emotional suffering or economic deprivation.

C. “I gave in-kind support”

If in-kind support is inconsistent, untraceable, or used to control the woman, courts may order structured support and reject “I gave groceries sometimes” as compliance.

D. “She has work, so I don’t need to support”

The child’s right to support remains; the amount may be adjusted by capacity and needs, but obligation persists.

E. Evidence risks

Overreliance on oral claims without documentation where documentation is realistically available (messages, receipts, school notices)
Delayed reporting without explanation can be attacked, though delay is not automatically fatal in abuse cases
Mixing support disputes with retaliation narratives—courts are sensitive to weaponization, so credibility and consistency matter

12) Damages for economic and psychological abuse

RA 9262 allows pursuit of damages where justified and proven. Typical categories:

Actual damages: documented expenses (medical consults, therapy, relocation, security measures, lost income with proof)
Moral damages: mental anguish, serious anxiety, humiliation, trauma (supported by testimony and corroboration)
Exemplary damages: where the conduct is especially oppressive or wanton, to deter similar behavior
Attorney’s fees: where legally warranted by the circumstances and court findings

Damages are fact-intensive and typically hinge on the credibility of the narrative, severity, corroboration, and documented impact.

13) Interaction with custody and parental authority in live-in contexts

A. Custody baseline (especially for young children)

Philippine courts often apply a strong preference for the mother’s custody of very young children, but this is not absolute; safety and best interests govern.

B. Abuse and custody

Demonstrated psychological threats, coercive control, and economic abuse can:

Justify restrictions on visitation,
Support supervised visitation,
Support protective conditions (no messaging through the child, neutral exchange points),
Influence long-term custody determinations.

C. Using support as leverage is legally disfavored

Support is a right of the child. Withholding it to force reconciliation or compliance strengthens an economic-abuse narrative.

14) Practical documentation checklist (for building economic/psychological abuse + support claims)

Child’s expenses: tuition statements, receipts, medical records, therapy receipts, school communications
Proof of withholding: chat messages, emails, recorded calls where lawful, demands and refusals
Proof of capacity: payslips, job contract info, business records, lifestyle indicators (where admissible)
Psychological abuse proof: threats, harassment logs, screenshots, witness statements, barangay/police records
Safety plan documentation: incident timeline, prior episodes, witnesses, relocation costs
Child-related safety: school/daycare pickup authorization letters, incident notices

15) Summary of the strongest remedies for this topic

For a woman economically and psychologically abused by a live-in partner, with child support issues, Philippine law offers a combined safety-and-support toolset:

Protection orders (TPO/PPO) to stop harassment, threats, coercive control, and to stabilize housing and custody
Court-ordered child support integrated into protective relief, with enforceable payment structure
Property and resource protection orders to prevent destruction, withholding, and financial sabotage
Custody/visitation restrictions designed around safety and the child’s best interests
Criminal prosecution for qualifying RA 9262 acts of violence, including psychological and economic violence when properly established
Damages for proven economic losses and psychological harm

These remedies are designed to address the reality that, in live-in relationships, money and psychological pressure are often used as control, and the law treats those as actionable forms of violence—not merely “relationship problems.”