Legislators halt impeachment case against Philippine president

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's congressional allies dealt a major blow Wednesday to efforts to oust her, using their dominating majority -- and the opposition's absence -- to toss out all three impeachment complaints against her.\nOpposition legislators cried foul and warned that the country's third "people power" revolt loomed. They watched the events unfold on TV, like the rest of the country, after walking out a day earlier from the House justice department committee hearing on the complaints.\nBut despite clashes between riot police and anti-Arroyo demonstrators outside Congress that injured 11 protesters, there was little sign that allegations of Arroyo rigging last year's election were generating the emotions -- or masses -- that fueled the peaceful ousters of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Arroyo's predecessor, President Joseph Estrada, in 2001.\n"I hope the public will receive it favorably," said pro-Arroyo Rep. Rodolfo Antonino. "If the opposition claims that this was railroaded, it was not railroaded. They were the ones who walked out."\nThe opposition did indeed claim it was railroaded, saying the committee hearing was a well- orchestrated sham. Pro-Arroyo lawmakers claimed the opposition was using its own theatrics, calling the walkout a desperate, premeditated attempt to trigger street protests.\nOpposition spokesman Rep. Francis Escudero said the impeachment charges are now on "life support," adding, "Our country is now on life support because the issues would not be foreclosed."\nThe opposition held slim hopes of still getting 79 signatures -- one-third of the House of Representatives -- that are needed to send the case directly to the Senate for trial. It claims it is six signatures short.\nThe committee vote culminated two rancorous days, starting with Tuesday's walkout. The opposition claimed the case was being killed unfairly, without getting a real hearing, on the strength of the administration dominance in the House.\nArroyo's allies first voted to exclude two of the three impeachment complaints, including one crafted by the opposition accusing her of three major offenses, including betrayal of the public trust.\nThat left the original complaint, which is widely considered to be the weakest -- and which the opposition claims was crafted two months ago by Arroyo allies as a safeguard against possible impeachment. Only one impeachment charge can be filed against an official in a year.\nAfter rejecting suggestions that the complaint was legally faulty, the committee voted 49-1 that it could it not be pursued legally, in part because it would require using illegal wiretaps as evidence.\nPro-Arroyo lawmakers broke into applause, some shaking each other's hands.\nThe opposition fumed.\n"This is the saddest day perhaps in Congress," said leftist Rep. Teodoro Casino. "This so brazen. The people have no other choice but to take to the streets because that is the only place we can resolve all these questions raised here."\nTV video showed police pushing back rain-soaked protesters with fiberglass shields and hitting them with wooden truncheons, including women sprawled on the road. A protester, blood oozing from his head, was escorted away by companions. Some demonstrators fought back with stones.