The World Socialist Web Site is publishing messages of support for Dr. Joseph Scalice from throughout the world. Dr. Scalice, who has come under attack from the Philippine Stalinists for his powerful lecture, “First as Tragedy, Second as Farce: Marcos, Duterte and the Communist Parties of the Philippines,” which examined the support given by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the various organizations that follow its political line, to authoritarian Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.

Acutely sensitive to the criticism of the CPP, its founder Jose Maria Sison, without a shred of evidence, has denounced Dr. Scalice as a paid CIA agent and an informer for Duterte. Dr. Scalice, through the establishment of the historical record about the betrayals of the CPP, has done a service to the working class in the Philippines and internationally.

We urge our readers to come to the defence of Dr. Scalice, including by sending statements of support to the WSWS opposing the slanderous attack on him by the CPP and sharing his lecture widely.

Hero Daquis, farmer, carpenter, community skills and livelihood projects coordinator in the Philippines:

I strongly believe that the lectures of Dr. Joseph Scalice are established with strong and undeniable facts. His evaluation of the character and persona of Joma Sison as a liar is accurate. Early in his life, it is striking to know that Dr. Scalice learned to breathe, smell and feel the oppression and struggles of the Filipino masses; he speaks fluently the language of the suffering of the Filipino people.

I want to admonish as many people as I can to believe in Dr. Joseph Scalice. We must not waver in supporting him against the likes of Sison, who likes to be remembered as an infallible being. But Sison could never get away from historical truth and from Dr. Scalice. Sison’s fear of Dr. Scalice’s truth is so evident that he became very much disturbed and now resorts to mustering forces to harm Dr. Scalice.

We can expect truth to shine further in the lectures of Dr. Scalice because he is a hardworking, dedicated searcher and passionate student of truth. His conscientious, honest, and brave accounting of history is a magnificent and powerful weapon in exposing the unfruitful works of Sison’s dark mind.

Joni, student in the Philippines:

It was disappointing for me, as a reader and an audience who is only searching for truth and knowledge in this political spectacle, to see shallow responses from the left and Mr. Sison towards Dr. Scalice’s lecture—it’s as if I’m seeing Duterte trolls at work. I was expecting an academic discourse from both sides, but it was only Dr. Scalice who presented himself with scholarly ideas and manifestations backed by evidence. If the left and Mr. Sison truly want to educate people and want people to engage in national politics, they should rethink their methods of discourse by providing sound arguments supported by facts, and veer away from trollish talk as it does not do anything of significance to the conversation, and, frankly, it looks ridiculous and unintelligent.

Mar, a teacher in Spain:

A scholar knows the reach of his ideas including the people who might be overwhelmed by the truth of his scholarship. His findings are compelling and authoritative that the CPP leadership subjects him to ridicule ad hominem and ignores the truth of his conclusion. Mr. Scalice’s standing for the truth, even if it puts his life in danger, is heroic. In their heyday, the group’s members were untouchables, but Mr. Scalice’s scholarly assertions just released the gadfly, which pain those who cannot endure its sting. His researches are valuable contributions to deconstruct the mainstream narrative in Philippine history about the struggles of the workers and the leadership of the CPP—one that negates a messianic purpose and one that unveils their folly.