House of Representatives minority leader Ronaldo Zamora and his allies left the justice committee hearing as a group after pro-Arroyo lawmakers accused them of 'falsification of public documents' in their impeachment complaint.

Mrs Arroyo, who won a fresh six-year term in the 2004 election after replacing the disgraced incumbent Joseph Estrada in a bloodless, military-backed popular revolt in 2001, has survived two previous impeachment attempts by the opposition.

'This is an insult and we will not participate in this kind of proceeding. That is why we walked out,' said Congressman Teofisto Guingona as he and other critics of Mrs Arroyo got up and left the session hall.

The congressmen were taking up an impeachment complaint accusing Mrs Arroyo of corruption, vote-buying and human rights abuses.

During the session, pro-Arroyo legislators said the complaint had been certified by a public notary as a legal document on Oct 10 but was only completed on Oct 11.

This allegedly showed that complaints were added to the document only after it was certified - which would be in violation of the rules.

Among those who filed the latest complaint was former Arroyo ally Jose de Venecia who was earlier ousted from his post as speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr De Venecia had testified in the hearing on alleged shady deals he had witnessed when he was speaker.

But Arroyo spokesmen and administration legislators challenged his accounts and said he had presented no evidence.

Opposition House lawmakers have tried to impeach Mrs Arroyo every year since a recording of a phone call emerged between a woman sounding like the president and an elections officer who appeared to be conspiring to rig the 2004 polls.

However as Arroyo allies dominate the House, all the impeachment complaints against her have been quashed.

Under Philippine law, only one impeachment complaint can be filed against the president each year and the absence of the opposition lawmakers will make it easier for the administration congressmen to dismiss this latest complaint. -- AFP