Short answer. Yes. The anti-VAWC law expressly lists police officers among those who may file a petition for a protection order, and it prefers those assigned to the women and children's desk. So an officer who learns of the abuse can bring the petition himself, without waiting for the victim to file.
What the law says
police officers, preferably those in charge of women and children's desks
RA 9262, Section 9 — Who May File. Read the full provision →
Police are on the list of who may file
The Act names a wide circle of people who may petition for a protection order, and law enforcement is on it: "police officers, preferably those in charge of women and children's desks." That means an officer does not merely refer a victim elsewhere — he can be the petitioner. It reflects how these cases surface in real life: an abused woman often reaches the police first, sometimes brought in after a violent incident, and the law lets the officer in front of her act at once rather than sending her away to file on her own.
What the word "preferably" is doing
The provision prefers officers assigned to the women and children's desk, but it does not restrict the power to them. The women and children's desk exists because its personnel are trained to handle abuse cases with the sensitivity and confidentiality the situation demands. So the ideal is that such an officer files; but where none is available, another police officer is not disqualified from acting. The preference guides who should handle it, without becoming a technical excuse to do nothing when the trained desk officer happens to be off duty.
What police filing means for the victim
When an officer files, the victim is spared having to be the one who walks into a barangay hall or a courtroom to start the case — a real barrier for someone still living with fear or under the abuser's control. The petition can seek the same reliefs anyone else's petition can: a barangay order to desist, a temporary protection order from the court on the day of filing, and, after a hearing, a permanent one. Police involvement also helps at the enforcement end, since the court sheriff serving an order may call on law enforcement for assistance.
The limits worth knowing
An officer's power to file does not change what has to be shown: the petition must still establish abuse of the kind the Act covers. A protection order is also distinct from a criminal charge — it is a civil, protective remedy aimed at stopping the harm, and pursuing it does not by itself decide any criminal case that may follow. The officer initiates and supports; the court weighs the evidence and decides the order. This is general information about who may file, not advice on a specific case.