MANILA, Philippines?The six men that President Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed to a commission to dismantle private armies face a tall order: finish the job in four months.

Ms Arroyo, in Administrative Order 275, clearly spelled out that the commission's main job is to eradicate private armies before the national elections in May.

?This is a tall order,'' Gary Olivar, presidential spokesperson, conceded in a phone interview. ?The commissioners are expected to try their best to meet her orders to them.''

After much delay, Ms Arroyo on Thursday afternoon named the members of the multi-sectoral commission in the face of rising incidence of political violence in the countryside.

The commissioners are Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, Mahmod Mala Adilao of the Bishops-Ulama Conference, retired Brig. Gen. Jaime Echeverria, retired police official Virtus Gil, broadcaster Herman Basbano and anti-crime advocate Dante Jimenez.

Ms Arroyo ordered the creation of the body on Dec. 4 in the aftermath of the Nov. 23 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao that was blamed on the Ampatuan clan and their private army.

She mandated law enforcement agencies to prioritize the elimination of private armies prior to the elections, and the Department of Justice to prioritize the prosecution of leaders and members of these groups.

But how can the commission eradicate a problem that has festered for decades in just four months?

?It's a question of coordinating government resources and security forces to resolve once and for all this particular peace and order problem expeditiously while the President is still in office,'' Olivar said.

The commission has broad powers, including the power to deputize the military, police, the DOJ and any other law enforcement agency to assist in its job, and the power to call on any agency for assistance, among others.

It is vested with the powers of an investigative body, and hence, could summon witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony or evidence, and undertake procedures to produce relevant documents.

Maguindanao as well as Basilan, Sulu, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Samar, Masbate, Nueva Ecija and Abra are classified by the Philippine National Police as ?hot spots'' because they are home to private armies.

The police has no exact figure on private armies across the country, but puts the number of loose firearms at 800,000.

It has an existing group, Task Force HOPE, to go after ?partisan armed groups'' and guns for hire in the run-up to the elections.

?With the commission in place, we will know why private armies are formed, what's their motivation, how do they acquire firearms, and how do they gather these dubious characters,'' PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa told the Inquirer by phone on Thursday.