MANILA, Philippines - A
video showing how a wife beat her husband's mistress inside a her own car has been making the rounds of various social networking sites, triggering animated discussions on the implications of the documented wrath.
The visibly angry wife was initially shown accosting her husbands mistress upon seeing him in their own car with another woman. She then went after her husband's female companion who tried not to get out of the car.
The wife, however, caught up with the other woman. The wife pulled the other woman's hair while being dragged on the floor.
For over 11 minutes, the other woman was slumped on the floor while the wife kicked and yelled invective's at her.
Agree, disagree
The video, which has been re-posted several times on various networking sites, has spawned intense online discussions, with some agreeing to what the wife has displayed while others condemned it.
Brown Saging wrote on Facebook: "Hindi lahat ng party ay masaya...3rd Party [kasi]"
Diavollo Akuma commented on Youtube: "Hindi sa kinakampihan ko iyong kabit, pero personally, mali ang ginawa nung legal wife. May sinama pa siyang kaibigan para kunan ang scene para talagang mapahiya iyong kabit. At, clearly, hindi lumaban iyong kabit. Kung magkademandahan talaga, tagilid iyong legal wife. Kung ako sa kanya, dinaan niya na lang sa annulment iyan dahil para sa akin lang talaga, vengeance cannot be justified by any other reasons at all."
Jana Guevara also disagreed with how the wife handled her marital problems. She told on FB page, "May asawa rin kasi ako. Mali yung ganung approach ng babae. Bumaba siya sa lebel ng babae (other woman)."
Chris Costillas echoed this. "Nakakahiya sa kanilang mag-asawa. Dapat sa bahay na lang pinag-uusapan yun."
Criminal liabilities
Family lawyer Nikki de Vega said that the wife's action towards the other woman could have actually made things worse not just for her marriage but for her legal position.
De Vega said the the wife's action was counterproductive since it has opened opportunities for physical injury and slander charges against herself.
"Mali yung ginawa nung asawa. Kung totoo mang nam-babae ang kanyang asawa, wala siyang karapatang manakit ng kapwa. Nagbukas siya ng mga criminal liabilities such as physical injuries... At kung pinag-mumura niya (yung babae), puwede siyang (wife) maging liable ng slander," the family lawyer shared.
Based on Philippine laws, the wife also cannot file concubinage charges against her husband since she only seeing her husband with another woman in a mall is not a concrete proof of an ongoing affair.
The Revised Penal Code describes the crime of concubinage as "Any husband who shall keep a mistress in the conjugal dwelling, or shall have sexual intercourse, under scandalous circumstances, with a woman who is not his wife, or shall cohabit with her in any other place."
De Vega then advised wives who are faced with the same dilemma to pour their energies into gathering proofs, like pictures or other evidences, of the affair.
However, De Vega also said that aside from concubinage, the other legal option left for a wife is the Anti-violence Against Women and Their Children Act.
That law can be cited by a wronged wife since it refers to "Any act or a series of acts committed by any person against a woman who is his wife, former wife, or against a woman with whom the person has or had a sexual or dating relationship...which result in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering, or economic abuse."
"Aside from the criminal liability ng lalaki puwede siyang (wife) manghingi sa korte na parang restraining order. (Ito) yung ilang meters (na) hindi puwedeng lumapit yung asawa. (At) puwede rin siyang (wife) magse-seek ng monthly support (from the husband).
