A Malaysian security team arrived in the Philippines today to monitor a ceasefire between Muslim separatists and government forces in strife-torn southern Mindanao island, the Filipino military said.

The group is an "advance administrative and logistics team" that would lay the groundwork for the arrival of the main monitoring group in October, armed forces chief General Narciso Abaya said.

They will prepare the international monitoring team's offices in southern Cotabato city and monitor progress of the ceasefire before the main group arrives, he said.

Brunei, who along with Malaysia is also a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, had also pledged to send troops to take part in the monitoring team, officials said.

The group is to handle complaints of violations of a 2002 ceasefire signed between the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been waging a 26-year separatist rebellion in southern Mindanao island.

Next round of talks in KL

Abaya said the arrival of the Malaysian team "will enhance or bolster" the peace talks, the next round of which is to take place in Kuala Lumpur in October, Abaya said.

"This will add to the confidence, not just among the parties, but even to the public," Abaya told reporters. "There is now a third party body that is supervising the monitoring of the ceasefire."

Allegations from both sides of ceasefire violations had earlier hampered the peace negotiations.

"It's a step forward," he said.

The eight military personnel and one policeman are expected to remain in the Philippines for a month to study logistical, demographic and communication needs of the monitoring team, Malaysian military spokesman Ramlan Mohamed Ali was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

A bigger team of 60 - 51 army officers, five policemen and four foreign ministry officials - would be in the Philippines by Oct 9, Kuala Lumpur's defense ministry said earlier.