A coalition of leftist groups gathered in Manila Thursday to protest President Rodrigo Duterte's recent suggestions that he will assume sole power of the Pacific archipelago.
About 1,000 protesters will march from historic Bonifacio Square to the Mendiola Peace Arch to stage a rally against Duterte's government.
Duterte has threatened recently to declare a so-called revolutionary government, which allows the president to consolidate authority in his hands, essentially canceling the constitution and dissolving the government.
The groups say Duterte's comments are nothing more than plans to establish a dictatorship.
Supporters of the controversial president will hold a rally of their own at the Mendiola Peace Arch Thursday.
The demonstrations are being held on the holiday that celebrates the birth of Andres Bonifacio, the man who led the Philippines independence movement against Spanish colonial rule in the late 1890s.
