C. "Psychological violence" refers to acts or omissions causing or likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of
the victim such as but not limited to intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, public ridicule or
humiliation, repeated verbal abuse and marital infidelity. It includes causing or allowing the victim to witness the
physical, sexual or psychological abuse of a member of the family to which the victim belongs, or to witness
pornography in any form or to witness abusive injury to pets or to unlawful or unwanted deprivation of the right to
custody and/or visitation of common children.
D. "Economic abuse" refers to acts that make or attempt to make a woman financially dependent which includes, but
is not limited to the following:
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As jurisdiction of a court over the criminal ease is determined by the allegations in the complaint or information,
threshing out the essential elements of psychological abuse under R.A. No. 9262 is crucial. In Dinamling v.
People,[31] this Court already had occasion to enumerate the elements of psychological violence under Section 5(i) of
R.A. No. 9262, as follows:
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:
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(i) Causing mental or emotional anguish, public ridicule or humiliation to the woman or her
child, including, but not limited to, repeated verbal and emotional abuse, and denial of
financial support or custody of minor children or access to the woman's child/children.
From the aforequoted Section 5(i), in relation to other sections of R[.]A[.] No. 9262, the elements of the crime are
derived as follows:
(1) The offended party is a woman and/or her child or children;
(2) The woman is either the wife or former wife of the offender, or is a woman with whom
the offender has or had a sexual or dating relationship, or is a woman with whom such
offender has a common child. As for the woman's child or children, they may be
legitimate or illegitimate, or living within or without the family abode;
(3) The offender causes on the woman and/or child mental or emotional anguish; and
(4) The anguish is caused through acts of public ridicule or humiliation, repeated verbal and
emotional abuse, denial of financial support or custody of minor children or access to the
children or similar such acts or omissions.
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It bears emphasis that Section 5(i) penalizes some forms of psychological violence that are inflicted on victims
who are women and children. Other forms of psychological violence, as well as physical, sexual and economic
violence, are addressed and penalized in other sub- parts of Section 5.
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Psychological violence is an element of violation of Section 5(i) just like the mental or emotional anguish
caused on the victim. Psychological violence is the means employed by the perpetrator, while mental or
emotional anguish is the effect caused to or the damage sustained by the offended party. To establish
psychological violence as an element of the crime, it is necessary to show proof of commission of any of the acts
enumerated in Section 5(i) or similar such acts. And to establish mental or emotional anguish, it is necessary to