MANILA, Philippines -- A joint ceasefire monitoring body composed of government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will set up a post in a North Cotabato town in an effort to end fighting between the military and Moro rebels that had broken out there eve as peace negotiations progressed, an official said.

The monitoring post will be set up in Pagangan village in Aleosan town, where government and MILF forces have skirmished on and off over the last two weeks.

"We are planning to put up a Joint Monitoring Assistance Team (JMAT) there, with the help of LGUs [local government units]... This will stop the fighting there," said Brigadier General Reynaldo Sealana, who chairs the government side of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).

He said the CCCH was talking with the MILF commanders and Army militia leaders in the area to "patch [up] their problems," since the clashes have been traced to personal disputes or "redo."

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the CCCH has been "very effective" in stopping the fighting in Aleosan.

"I'm very confident that the CCCH set up will work because they are the ones actually on the ground, because they are there to resolve disputes rather than to monitor," he said.

"We are very happy to report and we firmly believe that our commanders have been doing an excellent job in the area," Teodoro said in a separate interview with reporters.