Article 155. Alarms And Scandals
On Criminal Law
Article 155. Alarms and scandals.- The penalty of arresto menor or a fine not exceeding forty thousand pesos (P40,000) shall be imposed upon:
1. Any person who within any town or public place, shall discharge any firearm, rocket, firecracker. or other explosives calculated to cause alarm or danger;
2. Any person who shall instigate or take an active part in any charivari or other disorderly meeting offensive to another or prejudicial to public tranquility;
3. Any person who, while wandering about at night or while engaged in any other nocturnal amusements, shall disturb the public peace; or
4. Any person who, while intoxicated or otherwise, shall cause any disturbance or scandal in public places: Provided, that the circumstances of the case shall not make the provisions of Article 153 applicable.
ACTS PUNISHABLE:
1. Discharging any firearm, rocket, firecracker, or other explosive within any town or public place, calculated to cause alarm or danger.
2. Instigating or taking active part in any charivari or other disorderly meeting offensive to another or prejudicial to public tranquility.
3. Disturbing the public peace while wandering about at night or while engaged in any other nocturnal amusement.
4. Causing any disturbance or scandal in public places while intoxicated or otherwise, provided the act is not covered by Art 153 (tumult).
NOTES:
Charivari is a mock serenade or discordant noise made with kettles, tin horns, etc., designed to deride, insult, or annoy.
A firearm must not be pointed at a person, otherwise, it is an illegal discharge of firearm (Art. 254).
What governs is the result, not the intent of the offender.
The crime alarms and scandal is only one crime.
The scandal here does not refer to moral scandal; that one is a grave scandal in Article 200.
The essence of the crime is the disturbance of public tranquility and public peace. Any kind of disturbance of public order where the circumstance at the time renders the act offensive to the tranquility prevailing, the crime is committed.
Definition of charivari: includes a medley of discordant voices, a mock serenade of discordant noises made on kettles, tin, horns, etc., designed to annoy or insult
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