Short answer. Yes. Article 2219 lists seduction and abduction as grounds for moral damages, and it expressly extends that right to the parents of the victim. As her parents, you may pursue your own moral damages claim for what you suffered, separately from any criminal case.
What the law says
Seduction, abduction, rape, or other lascivious acts
Civil Code, Article 2219 — When Moral Damages May Be Recovered. Read the full provision →
What the law says
The parents of the female seduced, abducted, raped, or abused, referred to in No. 3 of this article, may also recover moral damages.
Civil Code, Article 2219 — When Moral Damages May Be Recovered. Read the full provision →
Seduction and abduction are named grounds
Article 2219 lists "seduction, abduction, rape, or other lascivious acts" as item three among the situations where moral damages may be recovered. What happened to your daughter falls within this ground directly, giving her a clear basis to pursue her own moral damages claim for the suffering, trauma, and humiliation she experienced. The article groups these offenses together because each involves a serious violation of personal dignity and autonomy that the law treats as inherently productive of real moral injury.
Parents get their own, separate right to recover
What makes this ground distinctive is that the article does not stop at the victim herself. It adds explicitly: "the parents of the female seduced, abducted, raped, or abused, referred to in No. 3 of this article, may also recover moral damages." This is a direct, independent right given to you as parents — not something you can only pursue on your daughter's behalf, but your own claim for the anguish, shame, and distress the offense caused you as her parents.
Both claims can proceed alongside each other
Because the article names both the victim and her parents as persons who may recover, your daughter's claim for her own suffering and your claim as parents for what you suffered are not mutually exclusive — both may be pursued. Each claim, though arising from the same underlying facts, compensates a distinct kind of moral injury: hers as the person directly seduced or abducted, and yours as parents whose own peace of mind and family relations were harmed by what was done to her.
This civil claim is independent of the criminal case
The moral damages claim under Article 2219 is a civil matter and does not require you to wait for a conviction in the criminal case before pursuing it, although evidence from the criminal proceeding may well support your civil claim. Keeping a clear account of how the events affected both your daughter and your family as a whole — emotionally, socially, and otherwise — will help support the extent of the moral damages being claimed on both fronts.
Cases citing this provision
These Supreme Court decisions cite the provision above. We list them so you can read them yourself; the summaries of what each decided are not ours to give.
- People of the Philippines vs. XXX262376 and YYY262376, G.R. No. 262376, April 2,2025 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Manila Electric Company (Meralco) vs. Lucy Yu, Represented By Her Attorney-In-Fact, Dennis Encarnacion, G.R. No. 255038, June 26, 2023 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Sps. Dionisio Estrada and Jovita R. Estrada vs. Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines, Inc. and Eduardo R. Saylan, G.R. No. 203902, July 19, 2017 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Eduardo P. Manuel vs. People of the Philippines, G.R. No. 165842, November 29, 2005 — read the decision on LawPhil →