Short answer. Yes. Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code punishes anyone who prints, publishes, or distributes — or causes to be printed, published, or distributed — books, pamphlets, periodicals, or leaflets that do not bear the real printer's name, or that are classified as anonymous. The penalty is arresto mayor and a fine from ₱40,000 to ₱200,000.
What the law says
books, pamphlets, periodicals, or leaflets which do not bear the real printer’s name, or which are classified as anonymous
Revised Penal Code, Article 154 — False News And Unlawful Utterances. Read the full provision →
The specific offense: anonymous or unidentified publications
Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code contains four numbered categories of unlawful publication and utterance. The fourth category — the one this question addresses — punishes anyone who prints, publishes, distributes, or causes any of those acts to occur with respect to books, pamphlets, periodicals, or leaflets that either do not identify the real printer, or are classified as anonymous. The penalty is arresto mayor (one month and one day to six months) and a fine from ₱40,000 to ₱200,000, reflecting the 2017 amendment by Republic Act No. 10951.
Two separate grounds: false printer and anonymity
The fourth category has two distinct bases for liability. First, a publication that does not bear the real printer's name — meaning the actual name is absent, replaced with a fictitious name, or otherwise concealed. Second, a publication that is classified as anonymous — meaning the authorship or origin is intentionally withheld. A publication can violate the article on either or both grounds. The requirement to identify the printer reflects the accountability principle: those who put material into circulation should be identifiable so that responsibility for its content can be established.
The four categories in context
The other three categories in Article 154 cover: publishing false news that endangers public order or damages the State's credit; encouraging disobedience to law or authority, or praising acts punished by law; and maliciously publishing official documents without authorization or before official release. All four categories carry the same penalty. The article reflects a view — developed in 1930 and subsequently updated for amounts — that publication carries accountability obligations, and that certain kinds of publications create specific public harms that warrant criminal consequences.
Practical implications for printers and publishers
Any person who operates a printing press, a publishing operation, or a distribution network and puts out material that lacks the real printer's identity — or that is deliberately formatted as anonymous — is potentially exposed under this provision. This applies regardless of whether the content of the publication is itself harmful. The absence of identification is the offense, independent of the content. If you received or commissioned printed material and have questions about whether the identification requirements were satisfied, a lawyer can advise you on what the statute requires and whether your specific situation creates any exposure.