Short answer. Yes. Article 329 of the Revised Penal Code covers ordinary malicious mischief — acts not falling under the special cases — and scales the penalty according to the value of the damage caused. The penalty ranges from arresto menor or a fine, up to arresto mayor in its medium and maximum periods.
What the law says
The mischiefs not included in the next preceding article shall be punished: 1. By arresto mayor in its medium and maximum periods, if the value of the damage caused exceeds Two hundred thousand pesos (₱200,000)
Revised Penal Code, Article 329 — Other Mischiefs. Read the full provision →
The residual catch-all: Article 329
Article 329 of the Revised Penal Code addresses ordinary malicious mischief — all acts of deliberate property damage that do not fall under the special categories enumerated in the preceding provision. Rather than applying a fixed penalty, the article scales the punishment to the value of the damage. The current penalty tiers (reflecting the 2017 amendment by Republic Act No. 10951) are: arresto mayor in its medium and maximum periods for damage exceeding ₱200,000; arresto mayor in its minimum and medium periods for damage over ₱40,000 but not exceeding ₱200,000; and arresto menor or a fine for damage of ₱40,000 or less, or damage that cannot be estimated. Older texts of the Code carry the original 1930 amounts.
How this differs from the special categories
The special categories of malicious mischief in the preceding article carry fixed penalties tied to the nature of the property damaged — not its value. Those categories include destroying telegraph or telephone lines, causing damage to works of public utility, damaging property used for fishing or aquaculture, and similar defined acts. Article 329 is the default track for everything else: destroying a neighbor's fence, breaking someone's window, damaging a car, ruining crops in the field — ordinary destruction of private property that does not fit a named special category.
Why value determines the penalty
The graduated structure of Article 329 reflects the proportionality principle that runs through the Code's property offenses. A person who causes ₱5,000 worth of damage should face a lighter penalty than someone who causes ₱500,000 of damage. The value of the damage is therefore not merely a fact to be noted — it is the primary determinant of how serious the offense is and what imprisonment range applies. Proving the value of the damage through appraisal, receipts, or other evidence is critical to how a case under this article will be charged and decided.
When the amount cannot be estimated
The article has a provision for situations where the value of the damage cannot be estimated. In those cases, the lightest tier applies — arresto menor or a fine not exceeding ₱40,000. This provision prevents a case from failing merely because the exact peso value is difficult to establish. If the damage exists but its precise value is uncertain, the offense remains punishable; the law simply defaults to the lowest penalty tier rather than requiring the prosecution to abandon the case entirely.