Opposition lawmakers lamented Wednesday the House’s dismissal of the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, saying it has set a very bad precedent.

In an interview, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino said the refusal of the majority in the chamber to tackle related cases that are pending in court has led to the House dismissal of the impeachment complaint.

Casiño said administration lawmakers voted to dismiss the complaint — without giving the complainant the chance to present evidence, and the respondent to explain her side – by citing sub judice rule amid pending litigation against the Ombudsman.

“This has set a very bad precedent. Sa susunod, pag may impeachment complaint, sasabihin na lang ng impeachable official sa kaibigan niya, mag-file ka ng kaso laban sa akin sa korte para ma-prevent yung impeachment on the ground that there is sub judice.”

In a radio interview over radio station DZXL, meanwhile, Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora shared Casino’s view, saying that officials facing impeachment complaint could easily brush aside the charges against them.

The precedent, he said, could also apply to impeachment complaints against a sitting President.

Zamora said it would be better to just walk out of the proceedings instead of dignifying a sham impeachment.

“This Congress is making a mockery of the provision, so it is better to stop it. We are lending credence to a provision that is already a dead letter in the Constitution," he said.

On Tuesday night, the House of Representatives voted 172-15-1 in favor of dismissing the impeachment complaint against Gutierrez for lack of substance.

Meanwhile, opposition Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said he was not surprised at all by the decision last Tuesday by the dismissal of the impeachment case against Gutierrez.

Lacson said that it would have been a surprise “if the House of Representatives impeached her instead of dismissing the complaint’’ filed by former Senate President Jovito Salonga, leaders of civil society groups and several former senior government officials.

By a vote of 172-15-1, the House plenary affirmed the report of the justice committee chaired by Quezon city Rep. Matias Defensor (Lakas Kampi).

The complaint against Gutierrez, a former college classmate of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, stated she was a “coddler of the powerful and corrupt.’’

The House committee report, however, said that while the complaint was “sufficient in form, (it) is not sufficient in substance.”

Lacson noted that the Arroyo administration has a track record of twisting legal procedures to protect its allies from constitutional sanctions, including impeachment.

He said President Arroyo herself has benefited from such twisting of legal procedures, with her allies saving her from impeachment four times.

“If there’s one big accomplishment this administration has, it’s able to tire us all, yung feeling of resignation prevalent not only among people but even us in the opposition. It’s very tiring...but we cannot afford to be tired,” he said.