Short answer. Yes. RA 9262 lists the people who may petition for a protection order, and your lawyer, counselor, therapist, or healthcare provider is expressly among them. They can file on your behalf, so you do not have to bring the petition yourself if approaching the court directly feels unsafe or overwhelming.
What the law says
lawyer, counselor, therapist or healthcare provider of the petitioner
RA 9262, Section 9 — Who May File. Read the full provision →
The law names a wide circle of petitioners
Section 9 of Republic Act No. 9262 opens by saying a petition for protection order may be filed by any of the following, and then lists them. Beyond the victim herself, the list includes her parents or guardians; ascendants, descendants, and relatives within the fourth civil degree; social workers of the DSWD or local governments; police officers; barangay officials; and at least two responsible citizens with personal knowledge of the abuse. Crucially, it also names your lawyer, counselor, therapist or healthcare provider. The breadth is deliberate. A victim is often frightened, controlled, or simply exhausted, and the law makes sure she is not the only person who can set the protection in motion.
Why professionals are on the list
Lawyers, counsellors, therapists, and doctors are frequently the first outsiders to see the signs of abuse. A physician treats the injuries; a counsellor hears what is happening at home; a lawyer is consulted in confidence. By naming these professionals as people who may file, the law lets them act on what they see rather than stand by while a victim hesitates. Because they are your professional — the provision speaks of the provider of the petitioner — they are trusted people already connected to your situation, not strangers intervening from outside. That connection is what places them within this category.
What filing on your behalf does
When your lawyer or doctor files, the protection order that results still protects you and, where relevant, your children. The relief the court can grant — ordering the respondent to stay away, to stop contacting or harassing you, to leave the home, or to provide support — is the same whether you filed or someone on the list did. Having a professional bring the petition can also help, since they can present the medical or factual background clearly. You remain the person the order is designed to shield, and your safety and wishes stay central to the case.
The limits of who may file
The right to file is generous but not unlimited. A person must actually fall within one of the enumerated categories. A concerned acquaintance who is neither a relative within the stated degree, nor an official, nor your professional, generally cannot petition on their own — the closest opening for outsiders is the category of at least two responsible citizens of the locality who have personal knowledge of the offence. For a lawyer, counsellor, therapist, or healthcare provider, the anchoring point is the professional relationship with you. Within that relationship, the law is clear that they may step in and file the petition a protection order requires.