President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to end more than two years of martial law in the southern Philippines after government forces weakened Islamic militant groups there with the capture and killing of their leaders, his spokesman said Tuesday.
Catholic Church groups deployed teams to assist affected communities Dec. 4, a day after a powerful typhoon hit the Philippines, leaving at least four people dead.
Philippine authorities have filed sedition, libel and obstruction of justice charges against 36 people, including eight church leaders, the country's vice president and members of the opposition.
