Text of the provision
Art. 147. Illegal associations. - The penalty of prisión correccional in its minimum and medium periods and a fine not exceeding Two hundred thousand pesos (₱200,000) shall be imposed upon the founders, directors, and presidents of associations totally or partially organized for the purpose of committing any of the crimes punishable under this Code or for some purposed contrary to public morals. Mere members said associations shall suffer the penalty of arresto mayor.
Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, Act No. 3815, as amended. Reproduced in full from the official enactment and verified against the LawPhil and ChanRobles renderings.
What this article means
Founders, directors and presidents of associations organised wholly or partly to commit crimes under this Code or for purposes contrary to public morals suffer prisión correccional in its minimum and medium periods plus a fine not exceeding Two hundred thousand pesos (₱200,000). Mere members suffer only arresto mayor.
Related provisions
- Article 143 — Preventing Meetings Of Congress.
- Article 148 — Direct Assault On Authority.
Penalty amounts. The text above is the article as amended by Republic Act No. 10951 (2017), which revised the property values and fines throughout this Code. Older reproductions of the Revised Penal Code still print the 1930 amounts — for theft and estafa they show 12,000 and 22,000 pesos where the current figures run to millions. Check which version any source you rely on is giving you.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.