Hubby faces charges for abuse of wife

AFTER Julie (not her real name) saw pictures of a woman on her husband’s mobile phone, she confronted Romy (not his real name).

“Gwapa kaayo akong kabit, no (My mistress is really beautiful, right)?” said Romy.

Days later, Julie read romantic text messages from the woman and overheard her husband having phone sex with his lover.

The woman, according to Julie, would call Romy every day.

“In fact, he would turn on the loudspeaker of his mobile phone so that I would hear their conversations,” she said. “These would start all our arguments.”

As a result, Julie filed a criminal case against her husband last January.

Prosecutor Joe Noel Lawas found evidence to charge Romy in court for violating Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004.

This 2004 law sets penalties for, among others, depriving a woan and her children of financial support legally due them and causing mental or emotional anguish.

A bail of P24,000 was set for the accused.

On Nov. 3, 2010, Romy went abroad to work. The following month, he only gave P5,000 as allowance to his family from the usual P18,000.

Julie would complain to Romy’s parents about the latter’s neglect of her and their two sons.

But the family said she was only after her husband’s money, she said.

“But for the sake of the family, I took all the insults and suffered quietly,” she said.

Romy stopped providing support to his family in July last year.

For the last time, the accused sent Julie P6,500 two months later.

“I had a hard time making ends meet. Oftentimes I would cry since I did not have money to buy milk for the kids who were then aged barely 3 and 1,” said Julie.