Text of the provision

Sec. 20. Priority of Application for a Protection Order. – Ex parte and adversarial hearings to determine the basis of applications for a protection order under this Act shall have priority over all other proceedings. Barangay officials and the courts shall schedule and conduct hearings on applications for a protection order under this Act above all other business and, if necessary, suspend other proceedings in order to hear applications for a protection order.

Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, Republic Act No. 9262 (2004). Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified word-for-word against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.

What this section means

Gives hearings on protection order applications priority over all other proceedings. Barangay officials and courts must take them up above all other business and, if necessary, suspend other proceedings to hear them.

Related provisions

Cases citing this section

Note. The text above is reproduced in full from Republic Act No. 9262, verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings. The annotation around it is the work of Vivas & Nobles Law Office and is general legal information, not legal advice. How a provision applies to a particular situation depends on facts that only a lawyer reviewing your case can assess.