MANILA, Philippines ? A seven-man team headed by the Department of Interior and Local Government will soon be choosing interim officials in Maguindanao that will oversee local government operations before elections in May, an official said Thursday.

Lawyer Maguib Sinarimbo, Executive Secretary of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, told a press conference that they would put in all interim officials from the governor down to the members of the Sangguniang Bayan before the end of February.

Sinarimbo said that for the position of Maguindanao governor alone, there were 27 nominees belonging to various sectors in society. Some of the nominees are current Maguindanao acting vice governor Nariman Ambolodto and members of the Sinsuat clan.

Sinarimbo also revealed that there were members of the Mangudadatu and Ampatuan families nominated in other positions in Maguindanao.

?Some of the nominees, I would have to admit, are related to the Mangudadatus. This is a big clan, actually. Some are also related to the Ampatuans, which is equally a big clan in the province of Maguindanao. So we are taking that into consideration. We wanted the OIC governor of the province would not be identified with any of the political groups so that he can operate without taking sides in the conflict of families in the province,? Sinarimbo said.

Some members of the Mangudadatus and Ampatuans are involved in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province last Nov. 23, 2009.

DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpus, meanwhile, said that one of the key qualifications of the candidates was that they should not be occupying any government position.

?One significant criterion that we suggested is that whoever will sit in the acting governor should not be a candidate in the coming elections dahil magkakaroon ng [there would be an] undue advantage. So dapat walang [there should be no] political plans,? Corpus said.

Should any current local candidate be elected, however, he should immediately resign and concentrate on his role in the province, Sinarimbo said.

?He need not be a member of a political party. What is important is that if he is running for any elected position in the coming elections, he should resign. Or if he is serving, in any capacity in government, he should equally resign as a manifestation of his good intentions to serve in full the constituents of the province of Maguindanao. So he need not be a politican what is important is he has the capacity to govern, to rule the province of Maguindanao, and implement the much-needed services to our constituents to the province of Maguindanao,? he added.

One of the goals of the local government of ARMM, Sinarimbo said, would be to help restore normalcy for the lives of some 35,000 displaced individuals.

Sinarimbo said that most of those displaced have been living in evacuation centers in the municipalities of Mamasapano, Datu Piang, and Ampatuan since 2008.

Most of the evacuees were victims of the ongoing clashes with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Some of the evacuees were also displaced due to the Maguindanao massacre incident.

?In the five provinces of ARMM, only in Maguindanao that we still have evacuees in evacuation centers numbering around 35,000. So we will push for the immediate return of these evacuees in their communities, we will coordinate our action with the AFP, the MILF, and the local government units in the province of Maguindanao,? Sinarimbo said.

Several months after the massacre and the declaration of martial law in the province, Corpus said that they were still trying to restore ?normalcy? in the province of Maguindanao.

?It?s difficult to give a time frame because we might not be able to achieve it but we are going as fast as we can. In the region itself, operations are normal. Like I said, the problem areas are in parts of Maguindanao,? Corpus added.