THE House Committee on Justice yesterday declared the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo has probable cause.

The committee voted 38-10 to send a committee report to the plenary where another voting will be held to determine if the complaint will be sent to the Senate for trial. At least 95 votes are needed to impeach Del Castillo and bring him before the Senate in another trial of a member of the High Tribunal.

Members of the committee agreed that Del Castillo is guilty of betrayal of public trust when he allegedly plagiarized sections of legal treatises for a decision he penned dismissing a complaint by Filipino comfort women to compel government to support their demand for compensation and an official apology from Japan.

The members did not accept the arguments presented by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay that the committee has lost jurisdiction over the impeachment complaint due to the expiration of the 60 session days within which to resolve the impeachment complaint.

Magsaysay added that even one of the complainants, Isabelita Vinuya of the Malayas Lolas, said that they do not want Del Castillo to be impeached, which is enough reason to dismiss the case.

“This is a clear case that the committee is using the plight of the lolas for another motive, probably for political reasons,” Magsaysay said.

On the other hand, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez also moved to reconsider the decision of the members because Del Castillo is in poor health.

Next week, Del Castillo will undergo quintuple by pass operation which is his second this month.

“He (del Castillo) is going to undergo a second bypass operation, so my appeal, can we dispense the voting after his operation? It is a dangerous operation and he needs peace of mind,” Suarez said.