Confused and Confusing

IN HIS first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Rodrigo Duterte announced a unilateral cease-fire with the Communist Party of the Philippines’ New Peoples’ Army, and the National Democratic Frontof the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP).

Several newspapers ran reports on Duterte’s announcement. However, most of them confused the unilateral cease-fire with a truce. A unilateral cease-fire is declared only by one side in a conflict in preparation for negotiations, while a truce is mutually agreed upon to stop hostilities usually for humanitarian purposes.

Two newspapers ran reports with headlines equating the cease-fire declaration with a truce.  The Philippine Star published “Peace of the living: Truce with Reds declared,” while the Manila Standard also ran a “Duterte declares truce with Reds.”

Two days after the SONA, on July 27, the NPA ambushed a Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), leaving one dead and four others injured. The CPP statement pointed to the military violating the government’s own cease-fire declaration. On July 30, Duterte lifted the cease-fire declaration.

Media reports again reverted to the use of the two terms as meaning the same thing. Surprisingly, some of those who got the terms right in earlier reports made the mistake in subsequent reports, and vice versa.

Hopefully, as the peace process moves forward, the press will be able to use these terms correctly, as confusing their meaning could affect the public’s appreciation of the progress of these efforts.