The appeal was made by private organizations, which said that it was important to fill up the three positions as the Comelec gears up for three major political exercises next year requiring the full complement of the seven-man poll body.

The three political exercises lined up for 2007 are the regular elections for local and national officials in May, the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls in October, and the possible plebiscite on Charter change.

The groups, led by Crisostomo B. Vitug of the Kapisanan ng Malayang Pilipino (KMP), Adolf V. Ortega of the Confederation of Filipino Drug Entrepreneurs (Confide), Florante G. Reyes of the Integrated Labor Organization of the Philippines (ILOP), and Dr. Cesar S. Cordova of the Knights of Columbus Council 6183, said the appointment of career officials or lawyers not affiliated with any major political party or politicians will enssure the impartial, objective and credible performance of the election commissioners on crucial issues confronting it.

They said that previously, the appointment of an election commissioner was always met with skepticism because the appointee was known to be strong with a big political party or identified with prominent political figures.

"If career officials are appointed commissioners, the Comelec can be sure that these officials are not only conversant with election matters but also dedicated to their duties,’’ Vitug said. "Career officials are normally capable of resisting pressures because they are not beholden to any political party or under the influence of powerful politicians."

Among the career officials and lawyers being groomed by various sectors for the post of commissioner are Regional Director Romeo Lobregat of Ilocos Region, lawyer and Certified Public Accountant Godofredo V. Arquiza of GVA Accounting and Law Firm, and retired National Labor Relations Commissioner Ernesto S. Dinopol.

The other candidates are former Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) governor Jose P. Icaonapo of Metro Manila, election lawyer Francisco B. Sibayan, lawyer and professor Cesar S. Brillantes, and former IBP governor Pete S. Principe.

Lobregat, before he became Comelec regional director, served as election officer in Quezon City, Mandaluyong City and other areas. Arquiza is president of the Oneway Printing Foundation. Dinopol, now a labor-management consultant and general law practitioner, was legal counsel of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the House of Representatives chaired by then congressman and now Finance Secretary Margarito Teves.

Icaonapo was three-time president of the Philippines Trial Lawyers Association (PTLA), while Sibayan won precedent-setting decisions in the Supreme Court on sensational and controversial poll cases.

Brillantes is one of the top councilors in San Juan, Ilocos Sur, while Principe is a lifetime member of the Philippines Constitution Association, director of the PTLA, and legal counsel to the Volunteer Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Citizens Crime Watch.