MANILA, Feb. 8 -- The goal of building a "Bagong Pilipinas" (New Philippines) could not be realized if the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) lags behind, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday.

During the 17th Meeting of the national and BARMM governments' Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, Marcos stressed the need to pursue "peace with progress."

The "frank and forthright" IGRB discussions are vital in achieving "genuine" peace, stressing that the shared vision for the Bangsamoro region will only be fully realized, if there is mutual trust, Marcos said.

"We are acting with dispatch not because of the deadlines that we have set f...