Short answer. Yes. VAWC is a public crime, which means it does not depend on the victim herself to press charges. Any citizen who has personal knowledge of the abuse may file the complaint. So a relative, neighbour, or friend who witnessed what happened can report it to the authorities.
What the law says
Violence against women and their children shall be considered a public offense which may be prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any citizen having personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the commission of the crime.
RA 9262, Section 25 — Public Crime. Read the full provision →
A public crime, not a private matter
Section 25 of Republic Act No. 9262 settles the point directly: violence against women and their children shall be considered a public offense which may be prosecuted upon the filing of a complaint by any citizen having personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the commission of the crime. Calling it a public offense matters. Some crimes can only be started by the offended party, but VAWC is not one of them. The state treats abuse in the home as a wrong against the community, not a purely private affair to be sorted out behind closed doors. That is why the door to reporting is opened to people beyond the victim.
The key requirement is personal knowledge
The opening is wide but not unconditional. The person who files must be a citizen with personal knowledge of the circumstances involving the commission of the crime. That means someone who actually saw the abuse, heard it, or otherwise has direct awareness of what happened — not a person merely repeating rumour or gossip. A neighbour who witnessed a beating, a relative who saw the injuries and the events around them, a friend who was present during the threats — these are the kinds of people the law has in mind. Personal knowledge is the anchor that keeps the reporting genuine rather than speculative.
Why the law is built this way
Victims of abuse are frequently isolated, financially dependent, frightened of reprisal, or worn down to the point where they cannot bring themselves to complain. If the law required the victim alone to come forward, many cases would never surface. By making VAWC a public crime that any knowledgeable citizen can report, the statute removes that bottleneck. It lets the people around a victim — who often see the danger clearly — act to bring it to the authorities' attention, so that help and accountability do not hinge entirely on the victim finding the strength to file.
What this does not mean
Reporting is not the same as securing a conviction. A complaint filed by a third person still has to be supported by evidence, which prosecutors will weigh before charges proceed, and the victim's own account will usually remain central. The rule also does not license false or malicious reports, which carry their own consequences. And while any knowledgeable citizen may report, that person needs genuine personal knowledge, not second-hand talk. What Section 25 guarantees is access: the case can begin even when the victim cannot begin it herself.