Short answer. Under Article 200 of the Revised Penal Code, a person who commits grave scandal faces arresto mayor (imprisonment of one month and one day to six months) and public censure. The law covers any highly scandalous conduct not already punished under a more specific provision of the Code.
What the law says
The penalties of arresto mayor and public censure shall be imposed upon any person who shall offend against decency or good customs by any highly scandalous conduct not expressly falling within any other article of this Code.
Revised Penal Code, Article 200 — Grave Scandal. Read the full provision →
What the statute covers
Article 200 of the Revised Penal Code punishes grave scandal — conduct so highly scandalous that it offends decency or good customs. The provision functions as a residual clause: it applies only when the act does not fall under a more specific article of the Code. If another provision already addresses the behavior, Article 200 yields to that more specific rule. This ensures that patently offensive public conduct remains punishable even when it does not fit a precisely defined offense.
The two penalties imposed
A person convicted of grave scandal receives two distinct sanctions. First, arresto mayor, which carries imprisonment ranging from one month and one day to six months. Second, public censure, a penalty by which the court formally and publicly reprimands the offender in open court. Both penalties are imposed together; the public censure reflects the law's view that conduct offensive to public decency warrants not only deprivation of liberty but also an explicit public rebuke from the judicial authority.
What makes conduct 'highly scandalous'
The statute does not enumerate specific acts — it uses the phrase highly scandalous conduct, which requires that the act offend community standards of decency or good customs. The conduct must be observable in a public or semi-public setting so that it can actually cause scandal. An act done entirely in private, without any reasonable likelihood of being witnessed, generally will not satisfy this element. The standard is objective: whether a reasonable member of the community would regard the behavior as flagrantly offensive to public morals.
Residual character of Article 200
The phrase not expressly falling within any other article of this Code is the defining limit of Article 200. This residual nature means the provision fills gaps rather than competes with other offenses. When a prosecutor charges grave scandal, part of the analysis is confirming that no other article of the Revised Penal Code already covers the specific conduct. If a more specific provision applies — even one carrying a lighter penalty — Article 200 does not. This design prevents double-counting the same act under two separate articles.