Short answer. Yes. Section 29 of RA 9262 directs prosecutors and court personnel to communicate with the victim in a language understood by the woman or her child, and to inform the victim of her rights, the legal remedies and procedure available, and the privileges for indigent litigants. These duties keep you from being lost in a process you cannot follow.
What the law says
communicate with the victim in a language understood by the woman or her child
RA 9262, Section 29 — Duties Of Prosecutors And Court Personnel. Read the full provision →
What the law says
inform the victim of her/his rights including legal remedies available and procedure, and privileges for indigent litigants
RA 9262, Section 29 — Duties Of Prosecutors And Court Personnel. Read the full provision →
What the law says
Prosecutors and court personnel should observe the following duties when dealing with victims under this Act
RA 9262, Section 29 — Duties Of Prosecutors And Court Personnel. Read the full provision →
Yes — they must speak a language you understand
Section 29 of Republic Act No. 9262 answers this directly. It lists, as a duty, that prosecutors and court personnel must communicate with the victim in a language understood by the woman or her child. A survivor of violence should not have to guess at what is happening in her own case because it is being explained only in legal English, or in a dialect she does not speak. The provision makes clear communication an obligation of the officials, not a favour — the point is that you can actually understand the process you have been drawn into.
They must inform you of your rights and remedies
The section adds a second duty. Prosecutors and court personnel must inform the victim of her/his rights including legal remedies available and procedure, and privileges for indigent litigants. This covers three practical things: the rights you hold as a victim, the legal remedies and the procedure open to you, and — importantly for many survivors — the privileges available to indigent litigants, so that a lack of money is not what silences you. Told these things in a language you understand, you are in a position to decide what protection or relief to ask the system for.
Who carries the duty
The obligation falls on the officials handling the case, not on the victim to demand it. Section 29 opens by saying that Prosecutors and court personnel should observe the following duties when dealing with victims under this Act. It binds both the prosecution side and court staff, at the stage where a frightened complainant most needs to be oriented. The law places the burden of explaining on those who work inside the system every day, precisely because the victim is the one who does not — and who may be facing all of it for the first time.
What the section does not do
These are duties of communication and information; the section does not, on its own, decide the outcome of the case or grant the protection you may need. Learning your remedies is the first step, but you still have to invoke them — for instance by applying for the protective relief that RA 9262 provides through its own separate procedures. Nor does the provision replace the help of counsel. It ensures you are informed and understood, which is what lets the rest of the law's protections actually reach you.