Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 30) — A day of ironies.

This was what militant groups branded on Thursday the commemoration of the 154th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, who spearheaded a Filipino revolution against Spanish colonizers in the late 1800s.

Police said on Thursday afternoon that over 1,000 demonstrators gathered at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila for a program.

They marched to Mendiola as rain poured. It was a four-kilometer walk.

The groups said instead of a revolution, President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies are pushing for a revolutionary government as part of a "creeping, fascist dictatorship."

"We are fighting for life and democracy," said peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) in a Thursday statement.

"Today, we declare Duterte as the number one enemy of the people," KMP added. "We will work hard to resist, fight and overthrow his emerging fascist rule. Enough of the killings and human rights violations, enough of the verbal abuse and rhetoric, enough of the neoliberal policies that favor landlords, oligarchs and foreign powers."

Meanwhile, women's group Gabriela called on all people to follow in Bonifacio's footsteps by opposing the return of a dictatorial government.

"Ating ipagtanggol ang kalayaan ng bayan na hindi pa nakakamit ng kilusang itinatag ni Gat Andres," it said.

[Translation: Let us defend the freedom that the revolution of Andres Bonifacio fought for, but which we have not yet attained.]

Duterte said in October 2017 that he would declare a revolutionary government if "destabilization plots" escalated.

Read: Duterte warns of revolutionary gov't if destabilization plots escalate

However, Duterte told soldiers on November 21 not to believe any talks of a revolutionary government.

Read: Duterte to soldiers: Don't believe talks of revolutionary gov't

"We serve to protect the people at ang ating bayan [our country]… to preserve the Republic," the President said. "'Wag kayong maniwala yang mga coup d'etat, 'yang revolutionary, coup d'etat. Wala tayong makuha diyan. Let us just build a country."

[Translation: Don't believe in talks of a coup d'etat, revolutionary government. We will not achieve anything from that.]

The groups are also protesting the so-called interference of foreign states like the United States, China and Russia in the country's affairs.

Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno said in a Wednesday statement that it will burn an effigy of Duterte depicted as a "BullyDog handled by "Uncle Sam," showing how the "U.S.-backed Duterte dictatorship uses fascism and state-terrorism to silence his critics and force Filipinos in accepting his anti-worker and anti-poor policies."

CNN Philippines Digital Producer VJ Bacungan contributed to this report.