SAYING 'a stronger Mindanao means a stronger Philippines,' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday called on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) not to allow 'forces outside of the democratic process to deviate our dreams and our aspirations.' The President's statement came amid the call of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, for Mindanao to secede from the rest of the Philippines and become an independent state.

In his speech at the 17th Meeting of the National Government-Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, the President reiterated his administration's support to the Bangsamoro peace process.