Short answer. Yes. Article 229 of the Revised Penal Code punishes a public officer who reveals a secret known to him by reason of his official capacity, or who wrongfully delivers papers in his charge that should not be published. The penalty, including a fine set by Republic Act No. 10951, is heavier where serious damage to the public interest results.
What the law says
Any public officer who shall reveal any secret known to him by reason of his official capacity, or shall wrongfully deliver papers or copies of papers of which he may have charge and which should not be published
Revised Penal Code, Article 229 — Revelation Of Secrets By An Officer. Read the full provision →
The offense
Public office often gives access to confidential information, and Article 229 of the Revised Penal Code makes the betrayal of that confidence a crime. It reaches any public officer who shall reveal any secret known to him by reason of his official capacity, or shall wrongfully deliver papers or copies of papers of which he may have charge and which should not be published. The wrong lies in exploiting the access the office gave him, disclosing what he learned only because of his position, or handing over documents entrusted to him that were meant to remain unpublished.
Two ways of committing it
The article describes two related forms of the offense. The first is revealing a secret that came to the officer's knowledge by reason of his official capacity, an unauthorised disclosure of confidential information. The second is wrongfully delivering papers, or copies of papers, in his charge that should not be published. In both, the officer misuses the trust placed in him: whether by speaking what should have stayed secret or by releasing documents that should have stayed confidential, he breaches the duty of discretion that his office imposed on him.
A penalty graduated by the damage caused
How severely the officer is punished depends on the harm. Where the revelation of the secret or the delivery of the papers causes serious damage to the public interest, the heavier penalty applies, including perpetual special disqualification and a larger fine; where it does not, a lighter penalty is imposed. The peso amounts of the fines were revised by Republic Act No. 10951 in 2017, so the current figures come from that law rather than the Code's original text. The graduated scheme ties the punishment to the real-world consequence of the breach.
Scope and significance
The provision applies to a public officer and to information or papers he holds by reason of his official capacity, which keeps it focused on abuse of the office rather than on private gossip. Its significance is in protecting the confidentiality that government functions often require, from sensitive records to information whose premature release could harm the public. For officials, the lesson is that access to confidential matter carries a duty of silence and safekeeping, and that violating it is not merely an administrative lapse but a criminal offense under Article 229.