Short answer. Yes. Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code punishes anyone who, by words, utterances, speeches, or publication, praises, justifies, or extols an act punished by law. The penalty is arresto mayor and a fine from ₱40,000 to ₱200,000. The act of praise or justification is itself the offense.
What the law says
by the same means, or by words, utterances or speeches shall encourage disobedience to the law or to the constituted authorities or praise, justify, or extol an, act punished by law
Revised Penal Code, Article 154 — False News And Unlawful Utterances. Read the full provision →
What Article 154 covers
Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code addresses unlawful use of publication and unlawful utterances. It lists four categories of offense. The second category — the one this question concerns — punishes anyone who, by printing or other means of publication, or by words, utterances or speeches, encourages disobedience to law or to constituted authorities, or who praises, justifies, or extols an act punished by law. The penalty is arresto mayor (one month and one day to six months) and a fine from ₱40,000 to ₱200,000. These are the current amounts under Republic Act No. 10951 (2017).
The three prohibited forms of expression
The second category of Article 154 covers three related but distinct acts: encouraging disobedience to law or authority; praising an act punished by law; and justifying or extolling such an act. All three can be committed through the same means — print or other publication, words, utterances, or speeches. A public speech that glorifies a criminal act, a social media post that celebrates lawbreaking, or an article that argues that a criminal act was righteous — all of these potentially fall within the scope of this provision, depending on the specific content and context.
Other prohibited acts in the same article
Article 154 contains three other categories beyond the praise-and-extolling provision. The first punishes publishing false news that endangers public order or damages the interest or credit of the State. The third punishes maliciously publishing official resolutions or documents without authorization or before official release. The fourth punishes printing or distributing publications that do not identify the real printer or are anonymous. These are separate offenses, each independently punishable, but they share the same penalty range — all carry arresto mayor and the same fine.
Scope and limitation
Like many provisions in the Revised Penal Code that touch on expression, Article 154 exists in tension with constitutional guarantees of free speech. This does not mean the provision is unenforceable, but it does mean that its application is sensitive to the specific content and context of the expression. Academic discussion of the reasons a criminal act may have been committed, historical analysis of events that involved illegal conduct, or criticism of a law by arguing it produces harmful outcomes are different in character from the active glorification of criminality that the article targets. The line between protected expression and punishable praise is a legal question, and where that line falls in any specific case depends on facts that require careful analysis.