Dismissal of impeach complaint vs Del Castillo looms

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the House of Representatives can make time to discuss the pending impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said that they were likely to dismiss it.

When asked why he thought that way of the complaint, he said that he did not “see (the) House or Senate wanting to go through that exercise anytime soon.”

Belmonte told reporters after the Senate impeachment court handed down its decision to remove Renato Corona as chief justice that they would put the complaint to vote before they went on sine die or recess by June 7.

But asked Friday about the planned discussion of the complaint, he said “if we have time to tackle it, we will dismiss it.”

House committee on justice chairman Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. however said that he has yet to discuss the Del Castillo case with Belmonte.

Del Castillo was accused of betrayal of public trust for supposedly plagiarizing parts of his decision for a case on Filipino comfort women.