abused women have the right to sue

It's called Republic Act 9262, or the Antiviolence Against Women and their Children law of 2004. Brand new on the books in the Philippines. The law allows for women who are physically, sexually, economically, and psychologically abused by their live-in partners/husbands/boyfriends. No need to be married.

We'll see how this works out. The Philippines already has some of the strictest laws in all of Asia on everything from the environment to drugs, but as most people realize very few are enforced on the streets.

Here's the Manila Times article.