He still gives money for our kids, just not enough — is that abuse?
Last updated: 2026-08-10 · Educational content; not legal advice.
Short answer
It can be — the law doesn't require him to give nothing. RA 9262 §5(e)(2) penalizes depriving or threatening to deprive you of financial support legally due, and separately names deliberately providing insufficient support as its own punishable act. Giving some money doesn't put this outside the law if the amount is deliberately short of what's due.
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Frequently asked
How is 'insufficient' measured?
RA 9262 §5(e)(2) doesn't set a formula or minimum amount — it names "deliberately providing insufficient support" as the punishable act without further defining the threshold.
Does 'deliberately' matter, or does any shortfall count?
The statute's own wording ties this act to deliberateness. The register doesn't establish that an honest shortfall — from reduced income, for example — would be treated the same as a calculated one.
Is this the same provision that covers taking away custody?
No — §5(e)(1) separately penalizes threatening to deprive, or depriving, you of custody of your children. §5(e)(2) is specifically about financial support.
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Whether what's happening even counts as abuse under RA 9262 — psychological violence without a hand ever being raised, economic control, threats, and the reach of the law beyond marriage and beyond your front door.