By Roy Pelovello and Macon R. Araneta

MALACA?ANG says it will not interfere in the impeachment case that civil society groups have filed against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

?We leave the democratic process to work on its own,? Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said yesterday.

?The Ombudsman is an independent office. Impeachment is a process?let that process work.?

At the same time, Remonde said it was unfair for critics to conclude that Gutierrez did not act on cases involving Palace officials because she and the President?s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, were classmates in law school.

?If that?s their basis for impeachment, then they should think twice,? Remonde said.

?It?s not an impeachable offense. It?s an unfair assessment because we have to presume regularity in the conduct of the Ombudsman.?

Remonde said the impeachment process would give Gutierrez a chance to defend herself from her critics.

?The Ombudsman will be able to answer it [impeachment complaint] in due time. The implication is that we have a healthy democracy in our country,? Remonde said.

Earlier, deputy presidential spokesman Lorelei Fajardo urged Gutierrez?s critics to give her a fair chance to defend herself and refrain from using the impeachment case against her for political purposes.

Fajardo said the Palace respected the seriousness of the impeachment proceedings as part of the democratic processes.

Five party-list lawmakers yesterday endorsed the impeachment complaint and criticized Gutierrez for threatening to charge the complainants with perjury and falsification.

?We decry Ombudsman Gutierrez?s hysterical response to the complaint,? the lawmakers said in a common statement.

?This reveals her arrogance and immaturity by counter-attacking the complainants instead of welcoming the only opportunity for her to answer the charges.?

One of the lawmakers, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casi?o, urged Gutierrez to go on leave.

In a separate statement, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano urged President Arroyo to keep her hands off the impeachment process.

Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, the first to endorse the complaint filed by former Senate President Jovito Salonga and 30 other civil society representatives, accused Gutierrez of harassment.

?Do not be afraid of Merceditas Gutierrez,? she said and urged more people to sign the complaint. ?It is actually Merceditas Gutierrez who should fear the Filipino people.?

Special prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio, who has traded barbs with the Ombudsman, urged Gutierrez to stop the personal attacks on Salonga and focus on the issues instead.

In their complaint Monday, Salonga and other government critics alleged that Gutierrez had betrayed the public trust by not prosecuting those guilty of alleged corruption in a World Bank-funded road project.

Gutierrez said she would not step down and vowed to answer the impeachment charges in the House of Representatives, which is dominated by President Arroyo?s allies.