Senator says SC justice in ‘plagiarism’ mess should resign

Supreme Court Justice Mariano del Castillo should resign from his post or be impeached on the accusation that he lifted portions of legal articles without proper attribution in one of his decisions, Senator Francis Pangilinan said on Friday. "If a student can be expelled from school because of plagiarism, more so a Supreme Court Justice," Pangilinan told reporters in a text message on Friday. He likewise tagged as totally unacceptable the justice's comment that the issue is "a diversion of attention from far more significant concerns." "It is a poor attempt at sweeping the dirt under the rug," Pangilinan said. The senator said Del Castillo's resignation will "spare" him, his family, and the high court from "further embarassment and harm." In 2004, Filipina victims of sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation had petitioned the Philippine government to compel Tokyo to make a public apology and provide them with compensation. The SC had denied their request last April 28, with Del Castillo writing the ponencia. On July 19, 17 of the victims went to the SC to file a motion for reconsideration, decrying Del Castillo’s ponencia as a “plagiarism" taken from at least three sources. Del Castillo denied their accusation. (See: Comfort women decry 'plagiarized' SC ruling) The SC, for its part, formed an ethics committee to look into the plagiarism charge. (See: SC ethics panel to probe plagiarism issue vs magistrate)—Kimberly Jane T. Tan/JV, GMANews.TV