MANILA — The Supreme Court of the Philippines has upheld the conviction of a man who sent threatening and humiliating messages to his partner, finding him guilty of violating Republic Act No. 9262, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.

In a 15-page decision promulgated in January and made public in March during International Women’s Month, Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario noted that the victim, identified as AAA, suffered significant emotional and psychological distress as a result of the harassment.

“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,” the court said.

The messages included threats to burn the belongings of her partner, humiliation before creditors, and derogatory remarks regarding her personal life. The offender also entered AAA’s home wielding a kitchen knife and remained there until police arrived, but was initially released.

The SC emphasized that under RA 9262, violence against women through harassment requires:

1. A sexual or dating relationship between the offender and the victim
2. A series of acts of harassment
3. Resulting alarm or substantial emotional or psychological distress

The court found that all three conditions were met and rejected the man’s appeal, noting deficiencies in the petition and the lack of merit in his defense, which cited intoxication and emotional hurt.

The man was sentenced to up to eight years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of P100,000 and P3,000 in moral damages. He is also required to undergo mandatory psychological counseling or psychiatric treatment and to report compliance to the court.

This ruling reinforces the legal protections for women against harassment and underscores accountability for psychological and emotional abuse.