DAVAO The viral video of a police officer in Bulacan assaulting his wife has sparked outrage over violence against women (VAW) perpetrated by men in uniform, whether on duty or in their domestic life. Women groups said these cases remain underreported.
The Center for Women’s Resources (CWR), a research and training institution in Quezon City that advances women’s rights, had documented at least 40 cases of state-perpetrated VAW from 2022 to 2025 involving police and military personnel.
The cases included physical assault, rape, sexual harassment, molestation, domestic abuse, and murder of women and children.
CWR’s monitoring of government data recorded a total of 13,211 VAW cases in that same time period, which shows an average of 36 women experiencing violence in a day.
“For every case that reaches the public, countless others remain hidden behind fear, intimidation, and institutional silence,” said Cham Perez, executive director of CWR. “Cases like (the police officer’ wife) are not isolated incidents. They expose a systemic problem in institutions that continue to tolerate abuse within their ranks while failing to ensure justice for women survivors.”
The said police officer was relieved from duty pending investigation.
Barriers to reporting
In Davao City, women’s rights organizations said abuse involving state actors have long persisted, especially among vulnerable sectors such as prostituted women, minors, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Talikala Executive Director Jeanette Laurel-Ampog recalled one incident during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when two barangay tanod (watchmen) in Baragnay Agdao were charged for raping an intoxicated 15-year-old who had been detained for violating curfew.
Ampog’s NGO has provided counseling and supported for women and minors caught in the sex trade in Davao, and she noted often authorities would dismiss complaints from prostituted women who seek help from assault and abuses from their clients.
“Hearing from the law enforcers like, ‘Ah, that’s part of your job, that’s part of being in prostitution. So you should accept it as a reality,’ that men would tend to abuse you and demand you to have sex. It’s still violence,” she said.
Another controversial VAW case in Davao was the murder of model-entrepreneur Yvonne Chua in 2024, where an army general was tagged by police investigators as the mastermind, claiming he was romantically linked to Chua.
The general was later absolved by the military court martial but kept him in custody, while his two subordinates were found guilty for the murder.
Digital activism vs ‘macho’ culture
The Young Feminists Collective Mindanao said youth activists have increasingly turned to digital platforms to expose cases often ignored by institutions.
The group’s co-founder Rose Marie Quimod said platforms such as TikTok and Facebook reels have become effective tools for documenting cases, amplifying survivor stories, and pressuring institutions to respond.
This happened In the case of Chua, where she had earlier documented herself with bruises over her face which she claimed came from assault from her perpetrator.
Quimod also pointed to what she described as a deeply rooted masculinity culture within police and military institutions as a fault for their tendency towards violence.
“A lot of military and police spaces are still shaped by masculinity culture, where aggression, emotional stoicism, and dominance are valued,” Quimod said.
The group called for stronger civilian oversight mechanisms, improved implementation of women’s hubs and VAWC desks, and greater participation of young women in local governance spaces.
“Complaints involving uniformed personnel should not stay only within their own institutions because civilians also deserve a role in oversight and ensuring women’s safety,” Quimod said.
CWR called on the Marcos administration, the Philippine National Police, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to establish independent oversight mechanisms, ensure impartial investigations, and strengthen survivor-centered support systems.
The group also pushed for sustained gender sensitivity and human rights education within uniformed services and the full implementation of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 and the Magna Carta of Women.
“At a time when violence against women remains widespread, the state cannot remain complicit through inaction, let alone allow its own agents to become perpetrators of abuse and violence against women,” said Perez. (davaotoday.com)
