MANILA - Employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are now asking for unity amid the bitter infighting happening among members of the en banc.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Comelec Employees Union expressed serious concerns over the deepening rift among members of the en banc, considering the various issues that they need to be focused on.

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The Union is worried that the infighting might adversely affect the preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled in October.

The employees also lamented that the dispute has placed on the sidelines their major concerns, including the pending grant of a health card benefit, their appeal for salary upgrading, and benefits for casual employees in the central and field offices.

"At this very critical juncture, the COMELEC-EU respectfully calls on the Honorable Commission En Banc to come together and unite. We hope that they find it in their hearts to settle whatever differences they may have at the moment and that they may be granted the wisdom and humility to focus on the principal mandate entrusted to them by the Filipino people, which is to steer the Comelec on its primary duty to conduct free and honest elections in the country," they said.

Employees of the Comelec are set to gather by lunchtime on Thursday for a prayer and candle-lighting ceremony for unity and harmony inside the Commission.

Comelec Employees call for unity in the En Banc, says 'infighting' might affect preps for the Brgy and SK elections pic.twitter.com/58yVvUqoAw

— Pia Gutierrez (@pia_gutierrez) June 28, 2016