A truce is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a suspension of fighting, especially of considerable duration, by agreement of opposing forces.” In news reports, Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire declaration was loosely interchanged with the word “truce” – implying therefore that the NDFP violated an agreement when there was clearly none. Satur Ocampo, former NDFP negotiator, provides additional insight on what constitutes a truce: “A truce would be a formal agreement, usually in writing, between two parties in an armed conflict that doesn’t simply entail a stop to offensive military operations. More importantly, a truce defines the political objectives to be worked out in bilateral negotiations to resolve the conflict, absent the fighting on the ground.”
Bago pa man maupo si Pangulong Duterte, naging malinaw na mayroon siyang pagtatangi sa pamilya Marcos—kaya hindi na nagulat ang taumbayan nang ipinag-utos niya ang paglibing ni dating pangulong Ferdinand Marcos sa Libingan ng Mga Bayani. Pero malinaw din na hindi limot ng mga Pilipino, lalo na ng mga kabataan, ang kasaysayan—libu-libo ang agad na kumondena sa “patraydor” na paglibing, at tumampok ang #MarcosNoHero. Kaya’t kahit pa nakuha ng pamilya Marcos ang matagal na nilang inaasam na libing, dahil sinalubong ito ng masidhing protesta ay naitatak pa rin sa kasaysayan na hindi bayani ang turing ng mga Pilipino sa dating diktador.