Short answer. Yes. Under Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, producing, publishing, selling, giving away, or exhibiting obscene or immoral material — literature, films, shows, and the like — is a crime. Authors, editors, establishment owners, and those who exhibit or sell such material can all be held liable.
What the law says
The authors of obscene literature, published with their knowledge in any form; the editors publishing such literature; and the owners/operators of the establishment selling the same
Revised Penal Code, Article 201 — Obscene Publications And Indecent Shows. Read the full provision →
What the law says
Those who shall sell, give away or exhibit films, prints, engravings, sculpture or literature which are offensive to morals
Revised Penal Code, Article 201 — Obscene Publications And Indecent Shows. Read the full provision →
What the law says
glorify criminals or condone crimes
Revised Penal Code, Article 201 — Obscene Publications And Indecent Shows. Read the full provision →
What the law says
serve no other purpose but to satisfy the market for violence, lust or pornography
Revised Penal Code, Article 201 — Obscene Publications And Indecent Shows. Read the full provision →
What the law says
prisión mayor
Revised Penal Code, Article 201 — Obscene Publications And Indecent Shows. Read the full provision →
The offense covers a wide range of conduct
Article 201 punishes several kinds of conduct around obscene and immoral material. It penalizes The authors of obscene literature, published with their knowledge in any form; the editors publishing such literature; and the owners/operators of the establishment selling the same. It also reaches those who exhibit indecent or immoral plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, cinemas or elsewhere, and Those who shall sell, give away or exhibit films, prints, engravings, sculpture or literature which are offensive to morals. So the crime is not limited to the creator — the chain from author to editor to seller and exhibitor is covered.
What the law treats as obscene or immoral
The article does not leave "obscene" wholly undefined. It specifies that the material caught includes those which glorify criminals or condone crimes; those which serve no other purpose but to satisfy the market for violence, lust or pornography; those which offend any race or religion; those which tend to abet traffic in and use of prohibited drugs; and those contrary to law, public order, morals and good customs. This list guides what falls within the offense. It targets material whose evident purpose or effect is to corrupt or offend, rather than works of genuine artistic, educational or informational value.
The penalty, revised in 2017
On conviction, Article 201 imposes prisión mayor or a fine, or both imprisonment and fine. The peso range printed in the current text was set by Republic Act No. 10951 (2017), which revised the fines throughout the Revised Penal Code; older copies still show the 1930 amount, so confirm the version before relying on a figure. The offense also requires the mental element the text implies — for authors, that the obscene literature was published "with their knowledge." Innocent, unknowing involvement is treated differently from the deliberate authorship, publication, sale or exhibition the article punishes.
What the article does not cover
Article 201 is about material offensive to public morals; it is not a general censorship of anything a viewer dislikes, and it is meant to leave room for legitimate artistic, scientific and educational works. It is also distinct from the special laws that deal specifically with child sexual abuse material and online exploitation, which carry their own, heavier penalties and elements. Whether a particular work is "obscene" or merely controversial is often the central dispute, judged against the standards the article sets out — its purpose, and whether it is truly offensive to morals.