COTABATO CITY — Civic groups and non-government organizations in Central Mindanao yesterday endorsed the self-imposed deadline by a joint committee to resolve reported violations of the cease-fire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCHs), composed of representatives from both sides, agreed on a time frame of seven days within which to resolve reports of violations, after which the same will be forwarded to the peace panels for consideration.

Since the reconstitution of the CCCH last October, several complaints of cease-fire violations, mostly coming from the MILF, had been filed before the Committee but not a single complaint had been resolved.

However, the joint committee, as per records available, had instituted a number of measures aimed at introducing mechanism for the smooth implementation of the Aug. 7, 2001 cease-fire agreement.

"The fact that we shall be able to reach the level of institutionalizing a capability-building program for Local Monitoring Team (LMTs) is already an accomplishment," said one Committee official.

In their 3rd joint meeting, the Committee members came out with a formula designed to effectively introduce coordination scheme between the CCCH and the MILF fighters and government forces, and their relationship with other agencies of the peace panels as well as the OIC-Monitoring Team.

The CCCH has agreed to ask the OIC, or the Organization of the Islamic Conference, to immediately formulate its own ground rules for its monitoring team in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, relatives of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members who were arrested last week by army soldiers in a raid at Barangay Puya, Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, continued to press for the early release of the victims.

The relatives noted that there had been no formal charges filed against the detainees.

Three of the detainees are now locked up in the municipal jail at Datu Paglas after being allegedly subjected to sever punishment from the hands of their captors. They were identified as Kileng Dalamban, Lahmudin Tangkeg and Yusoph Bogoy Sali.

Relatives also of raid victims at Matengen, Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, who are detained Sultan Kuadarat Municipal Jail, were likewise appealing to the CCCHs to effect their immediate release in the spirit of the ongoing peace talks.