The sanctity of marriage was brutally exploited in the case of Edna Murillo, a woman who endured five years of domestic violence after being forced into a union she never desired.

Her story is a devastating account of familial betrayal, coercion, and the triumph of justice over manipulation and abuse.

The Price of Land

The coercion began in 2013. Edna, then only 18 years old, was compelled to marry Bobby Murillo (35), a man she did not love.

The marriage was not a union of affection but a transaction: it was the price demanded by Bobby’s family to settle the debt owed by Edna’s adoptive parents, Isagani and Marcy Villanueva, ensuring they would not lose the land where their house stood.

Bobby, who had long desired Edna but could not win her love, used financial pressure as his means of acquisition.

Edna initially resisted, but her adoptive parents repeatedly threatened her, stating they would be left homeless if she refused the proposal. She reluctantly agreed, sacrificing her will for her family’s shelter.

Bobby promised to transfer the land title to the Villanuevas and provide financial support in return.

The Five-Year Sentence of Silence

From the beginning, the marriage was devoid of love. Though Bobby was initially affectionate and attentive, his true, abusive nature soon emerged.

He started with verbal abuse, which quickly escalated to repeated physical assault—the first instance being a harsh strike to the face.

Every time Edna attempted to return to her parents for refuge, they coldly instructed her to endure the abuse, citing that the land title transfer was still incomplete.

Edna realized she was trapped, abandoned by the very people who were supposed to protect her.

The birth of their son, Carlo, in 2014 did not soften Bobby; his violence only intensified. He often blamed Edna for the child’s crying and vented his work frustrations on her.

Edna learned to bear the silence, enduring physical assaults and moments of forced intimacy that violated her consent, all while dreaming of the day she could escape.

The Ultimate Betrayal

After five years of suffering, following another night of severe physical assault, Edna made her move in February 2018. She secretly gathered money she had painstakingly saved from small change and fled with her son, Carlo, under the cover of darkness.

She sought refuge with her adoptive parents, hoping that since the land title had been transferred, they would finally embrace her.

Instead, Isagani and Marcy greeted her with cold indifference, instructing her to reconcile with her husband.

In a devastating turn, they made a final, crushing revelation: Edna was adopted. She had been left with them as a two-year-old by a stranger and was not their biological child.

Edna finally understood why they had so easily traded her welfare for a piece of land. Worse, they immediately called Bobby, informing him of her location.

Bobby arrived and forcibly took Edna and Carlo home, where Edna endured the most brutal physical assault of her life, suffering repeated strikes from his heavy fists.

The Legal Counterstrike

After recovering from the traumatic incident, Edna finally sought help from the Women’s Desk of the Philippine National Police (PNP). A medico-legal examination confirmed her injuries, and she filed serious charges against Bobby Murillo under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (Anti-VAWC) Law.

The investigation quickly uncovered another critical layer of Bobby’s deception: his first marriage in Quezon in 2008 had never been legally annulled. This rendered his union with Edna in 2013 invalid due to bigamy.

With the help of a social worker and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Edna also filed a criminal complaint against her adoptive parents, Isagani and Marcy, for violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act—coercing their non-biological daughter into a forced marriage for financial gain (the land title).

While the cases were ongoing, Edna and Carlo were safely housed in a DSWD shelter.

Justice Served and a New Beginning

In November 2020, the court delivered its sentence. The convictions were comprehensive and absolute:

Bobby Murillo was found guilty of multiple counts of violating the Anti-VAWC Law and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

Isagani and Marcy Villanueva (the adoptive parents) were convicted of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act violations and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

The verdict brought Edna a wave of complicated emotions—sadness for the people she once called parents, but immense relief that her life of terror was over.

With the help of the DSWD, Edna slowly rebuilt her life, finding respectable work in a garment factory. She sold the house, the very symbol of her forced suffering, and focused on raising Carlo, who grew up understanding his mother’s immense courage.

In 2024, Edna met Junbert Maniego, a kind, respectful mechanic who became a loving figure to Carlo. In February 2025, Edna and Junbert married in a civil ceremony. Junbert adopted Carlo, providing the boy with a legal, loving father and solidifying the first true, happy family Edna had ever known.