Protests against a decision by the Philippines government to back President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to extend martial law were called on December 13 but drew only small crowds. Rappler reported about 50 people gathered at the House of Representatives. Student groups also called for indignation rallies in response to the decision. This video shows a student protest in Manila. Martial law was declared on the island of Mindanao in May, 2017, as government forces fought Islamist rebels with links to Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Marawi. Filipino forces officially withdrew from Marawi in October, 2017, after a declaration that the city had been liberated. Duterte has said that rebels who survived the assault were still determined to set up an IS governorate. Credit: Facebook/Sam Whosoever Pascual via Storyful
