HOUSE minority leader Ronaldo Zamora yesterday said only a "miracle" can save the new impeachment complaint against President Arroyo from being dismissed by her allies in Congress.

Zamora said that "out of desperation," they would still try to convince congressmen from other parties to support the complaint because this is part of theircConstitutional duty of providing checks and balances.

The 25-man minority bloc on Wednesday decided to support the complaint filed by businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III and civil society groups despite the likelihood that they would not be able to muster 79 votes or one-third of the 236-member House of Representatives to transmit the complaint to the Senate for trial.

The impeachment complaint filed last Monday accuses Arroyo of betrayal of public trust for approving the National Broadband Network (NBN) telecommunications deal with China’s ZTE Corp., saying that the deal was overpriced by at least $130M; culpable violation of the Constitution for approving the NorthRail rehabilitation project; human rights violations; graft and corruption for her administration’s involvement in various irregularities including the P728 million fertilizer scam, P2 billion swine scam; and, alleged ballot-switching in 2004.

Arroyo’s House allies dismissed the impeachment complaints of lawyer Oliver Lozano in 2005 and 2006 and last year’s complaint of lawyer Roel Pulido for lacking in substance.

Rep. Edno Joson (Ind. , Nueva Ecija) said the people will not be surprised anymore if the new impeachment complaint will be short-lived.

"Numbers at money game ang impeachment kaya tiyak yun merong kikita. Ang stand ko di rin magpo-prosper dahil si (Speaker) Prospero (Nograles) nakabantay," he said.

Rep. Didagen Dilangalen (PMP, Shariff Kabunsuan and Cotabato City) said former Speaker Jose de Venecia’s decision not to endorse the complaint has dimmed its chances even more.

"Mahihirapan because even the former Speaker JDV, Joey’s father, did not endorse the complaint," he said.

Complicating the matters for the De Venecias, Dilangalen said, is the inclusion of the alleged overpriced NorthRail project in the complaint.

"Kasama dyan ‘yung NorthRail of which he (the older De Venecia) was in charge of syndicating the loan. Yun nga ang problema nilang malaki baka mag-boomerang kay JDV," he said.

Dilangalen said the new complaint is full of "rehashed items."

He said that, as before, the complaint does not directly pin down the President on the illegal acts attributed to her.

"I’m not prejudging the complaint. You cannot just blame the President for everything that is happening in the country," he said.