The supreme court (sc) has upheld the court of appeals' (ca) decision to sentence a man to up to eight years after finding him guilty of psychological violence under republic act (ra) 9262: In a statement on Friday, the high tribunal reiterated that what RA 9262 criminalizes is not marital infidelity by itself but the psychological violence that goes with it, causing mental or emotional suffering to the spouse.

According to Philippines News Agency, the court emphasized that psychological violence, committed through marital infidelity, violates matrimonial vows and inflicts psychological and emotional harm on the aggrieved spouse and their children. Married in 1999, the couple began experiencing difficulties in 2009 when the husband became distant and frequently returned home late.

In January 2010, the husband informed his wife via text messages that he would not return home, expressing his desire to start a new life alone and pursue the nullity of their marriage. The wife later discovered that her husband was living with another woman, exacerbating her emotional distress.

The couple's son testified about witnessing his mother's prolonged emotional suffering, seeing her cry and experience depression for more than two years after the father left the family. The SC concurred with the rulings of the CA and the Regional Trial Court, which found the husband guilty and imposed a penalty of PHP130,000 in fines and damages.

The SC Second Division's ruling stated that marital infidelity causing mental and emotional suffering cannot be condoned by the Court, as it contradicts the constitutional principle of the inviolability of marriage and is penalized by law. The SC concluded that the wife's testimony, psychological evaluation, and other witness accounts adequately demonstrated the husband's role in causing her suffering.