What are the elements of unjust vexation?

Answer

Drawn from Article 287 of the Revised Penal Code and how courts apply it, unjust vexation involves: (1) a human act that annoyed, irritated, vexed, or disturbed another person; and (2) the absence of any lawful or just cause for that act.

Notably, it does not require physical violence, and the offender's intent to vex is generally inferred from the act and its circumstances; what matters is the effect on the offended party's peace of mind. The offense is broad precisely because the law uses it as a residual provision.

Sources & further reading

• Revised Penal Code Art. 287 — light coercions / unjust vexation
• Full report: unjust vexation in the Philippines