Comelec Commissioners Manuel Barcelona and Virgilio Garcillano were appointed in February to replace Ralph Lantion and Luzviminda Tancangco, whose terms expired that month.
The camp of defeated presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. then suspected that Barcelona and Garcillano were appointed to the poll body to help steer the presidential election in favor of Mrs. Arroyo.
Their appointments were deemed rejected because Congress did not act on them until it adjourned. Appointments made by the President must be scrutinized and approved by the Commission on Appointments.
Asked about his chances of hurdling the joint congressional panel, Garcillano said: "I am not confident. But I will try my best. This has become personal."
Barcelona said he is leaving his fate to divine providence. "As far as I am concerned all that is happening to me is by God so I leave that to God."
Both said they have no idea why they were reappointed.
"I did not do anything," Barcelona said. "The only thing I did was to do what I had to do in my area of jurisdiction and that is a peaceful, honest and credible election."
"We did not anticipate that we will be reappointed and there is no reason why people are saying that we were rewarded by being reappointed," Garcillano said.
He denied earlier opposition accusations that he and Barcelona were appointed in February to help rig the May presidential race.
Mrs. Arroyo was a million votes behind Poe in areas under Garcillano’s supervision, he said.
"In my region alone President Arroyo was overwhelmed and I was embarrassed, including my (region four) director, Juanito Icaro," Garcillano said.
Garcillano added he even told Icaro that he was not doing his job "but if that is the wish of the people, if that is mandate of the people, we cannot do anything."
Opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel claims Garcillano manipulated the results of the 1995 senatorial elections that led to his defeat.
In a letter to Senate President Franklin Drilon and Sen. Edgardo Angara in February, Pimentel asked for a Senate inquiry to investigate Barcelona and Garcillano for allegedly having ties with Mrs. Arroyo’s husband.
Pimentel said their appointments should be screened by the Commission on Appointments. Congress went on recess for the May elections before the appointments were made.
He sought their recall but Malacañang said Barcelona and Garcillano would stay unless clear evidence of wrongdoing were found against them.
Garcillano also allegedly "distributed or cause money to be distributed" to Comelec officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to ensure Mrs. Arroyo’s victory and that he had a private dinner with Mrs. Arroyo sometime in January and boasted what he could do for her in the Comelec.
Poe’s camp had also earlier suspected in February that the two were appointed to the Comelec to tip the balance against the actor-turned-politician, whose presidential bid then was being questioned on citizenship grounds.
Five of the seven-member commission, including its chairman, Benjamin Abalos, are Arroyo appointees.
In January, lawyer Victorino Fornier, sought Poe’s disqualification from the presidential race, arguing that he was an American citizen.
The Constitution stipulates that the president should be a natural-born Filipino citizen.
Four Comelec officials rejected Fornier’s argument, ruling that Poe was a natural-born Filipino citizen because his father was a Filipino citizen despite his Spanish heritage.
Barcelona, Garcillano and Comelec commissioner Florentino Tuason, however, disagreed with the majority ruling.
Poe’s coalition sought the recall of Barcelona and Garcillano for their dissenting opinion, accusing them of partiality.