MANILA, Philippines - After clearing the way for ex-president Joseph Estrada's presidential bid, the Commission on Elections on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking to disqualify President Arroyo from running for a congressional seat in her home province of Pampanga.

In its decision, the Comelec 2nd Division said the petition filed by lawyer Ely Pamatong lacked merit and was just a "waste of precious time." A separate petition for Mrs. Arroyo's disqualification filed by the Akbayan party-list remains pending at the Comelec's 1st Division.

The Comelec 2nd Division's decision was promulgated on Wednesday, the same day that the commission junked separate petitions seeking to disqualify Estrada from running for president in the May polls.

Enraged by the decisions, Pamatong accused the Comelec commissioners of corruption and threatened to walk out of the proceedings. "Your honor, I am walking out because I don't have respect and trust in this commission. Mga magnanakaw kayo! (You are all thieves!)" he said.

Because of the outburst, Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer cited Pamatong in contempt and ordered him detained at the Manila City Jail for at least 10 days.

"Atty. Ely Pamatong got seriously upset and started berating the 2nd Division and hurled invectives at them. Charges of direct contempt will be filed against him seeing how he totally lost it," Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in an ANC interview.

First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, meanwhile, praised the Comelec for its decision to junk Pamatong's petition. "We are happy about the decision. There was no basis [for] the complaint and from the very start we knew it," he said.

Meanwhile, Arroyo's election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said he expects the Comelec to dismiss the second disqualification petition filed against his client.

In its complaint, Akbayan said Mrs. Arroyo should be disqualified for denying her opponents equal opportunity for public service because they would be fighting an incumbent President who has the country's resources at her disposal.

"The President knows that she has all the qualifications and there is no reason for her to be disqualified," Macalintal said.