Short answer. They can, if there are at least two of them, they are from the city or municipality where the violence occurred, and they have personal knowledge of it. Their application must still be accompanied by an affidavit setting out the abuse and the circumstances of your consent to the filing.

What the law says

At least two (2) concerned responsible citizens of the city or municipality where the violence against women and their children occurred and who has personal knowledge of the offense committed.

RA 9262, Section 9 — Who May File. Read the full provision →

What the law says

any person, private individual or police authority or barangay official who, acting in accordance with law, responds or intervenes without using violence or restraint greater than necessary to ensure the safety of the victim, shall not be liable for any criminal, civil or administrative liability resulting therefrom

RA 9262, Section 34 — Intervenors Exempt From Liability. Read the full provision →

Three conditions, all of them at once

This is the only category in the section that requires more than one person, and the conditions stack. There must be at least two; they must be concerned responsible citizens of the city or municipality where the violence occurred, which ties the category to the locality rather than to any relationship with you; and they must have personal knowledge of what was committed. Personal knowledge means what they themselves saw or heard, not what they were told afterwards by someone else. Two neighbours who were repeating a rumour would not meet it.

Consent is still part of the application

Being afraid and being unwilling are treated the same way by the form, which is worth knowing before neighbours start. Any applicant who is not the offended party must attach an affidavit attesting to the circumstances of the abuse and to the circumstances of your consent to the filing. Nothing in the Act asks you to justify hesitating, and no consequence attaches to you for it. But the affidavit cannot be completed without that element, so this is a conversation someone will need to have with you rather than around you.

Several provisions are built around exactly this fear

If what stops you is exposure rather than doubt, look at what the Act already does. Where disclosing your address would pose a danger to your life, that is stated in the application and a mailing address is given instead. Records of these cases, including those held at the barangay, are confidential, and publishing a victim's identifying information without consent is penalised. A court's temporary order is one it may issue on the date of filing after an ex parte determination, meaning the other side is not heard first, and these applications take priority over other business.

What your neighbours are exposed to

The question they usually ask is what it costs them. The Act provides that a private individual who, acting in accordance with law, responds or intervenes without using force greater than necessary to ensure the victim's safety is not liable, criminally, civilly or administratively, for doing so. Practical help is also owed to them: barangay officials and court personnel are directed to assist in preparing an application, and law enforcement agents to extend assistance in cases brought to their attention. Ask them to write down dates and what they personally witnessed, since that is the statutory hook.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.