MANILA, Philippines -- Malacañang officials Monday night said Speaker Jose de Venecia had burned his bridges with his allegations against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and challenged him to bring his charges before the courts.

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo referred to De Venecia as a ?former Speaker,? even well before the House of Representatives could vote to oust him.

?The former Speaker?s uncorroborated claims of irregularities and threats are best brought before independent and impartial commissions and courts, which give weight to hard evidence not angry rhetoric,? Saludo said.

By hurling serious charges against Ms Arroyo, De Venecia not only severed his ties with her but also possibly with the administration coalition, Palace officials said.

?What is clear is that he has burned his bridges with the President. He has crossed the Rubicon with that kind of speech,? Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said in a phone interview.

Gonzalez conceded that De Venecia?s statements were ?cause for worry,? especially since ?this town is willing to listen to gossip.?

Asked whether De Venecia?s utterances and actions would lead to another destabilization attempt against the Arroyo administration, Gonzalez said he did not know but he hoped they would not.

?Let?s view it with equanimity and study it,? Gonzalez said of De Venecia?s allegations.

Speaking at the House amid attempts to oust him, De Venecia said he knew ?of many attempts to tamper with the results of the 2004 elections,? and made reference to the controversial ?Hello Garci? tapes dealing with Ms Arroyo?s supposed involvement in election fraud.

He also accused Ms Arroyo?s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and Malacañang of planning his ouster after his son, Jose de Venecia III, linked Mike Arroyo to the anomalous $329-million National Broadband Network deal.

Rehash of old charges

The President?s political adviser, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, dismissed the charges as a ?rehash of all the other issues that have been discussed in the media (and) in the Senate.?

On the Speaker?s pledge to tell ?all? the next time he spoke before the House, Puno said: ?Let?s look forward to that, to what he has to say.?

The Palace would ?deal with it when we get there,? Puno said.

JDV?s future

?My only comment is if he has known all these things, he should have said them all along. Why put them off until now??

To Puno, De Venecia?s allegations were nothing but an ?emotional attempt to get sympathy from other members of the House.?

?I just wonder ... whether he will stay with the administration coalition,? Puno said.

Puno said he had expected De Venecia to resign from the administration coalition but the latter did not and that was why, he said, he ?did not know what the point of the speech was.?

Asked whether De Venecia should resign then, Puno said: ?If he thinks he can no longer work with the administration, instead of confining it to talk, he should be consistent also and separate himself from the people that he?s uncomfortable with.?

Saludo called for an end to political bickerings.

?We must now ... move resolutely to heal the wounds of political conflict,? he said. ?We wish the former Speaker well and we urge Congress to focus on urgent bills.?