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NATIONS FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE AND WORLD DEMOCRACY

I am SENATOR RODEL “HENRY SY” NAVARRO availing myself of the privilege hour to express the sense of the Senate to join the community of nations and parliaments around the world in commemorating the international day of democracy on September 15 and to narrate history of democracy of World Nations:  In 2007, the United Nations declared September 15 of each year as the International Day of Democracy, and invited all member States to commemorate the day with activities that celebrate and exalt democracy in their respective countries. The Inter-Parliamentary Union" of which the Philippines is a member, unifies parliaments worldwide in celebrating the International Day of Democracy. United Nations (UN) is an international organization of countries set up in 1945, in succession to the League of Nations, to promote international peace, security, and cooperation. The members of the United Nations, originally the countries that fought against the Axis Powers in the Second World War, now number 192 and include most sovereign states of the world. Administration is by a secretariat headed by a secretary general. The chief deliberative body is the General Assembly, in which each member state has one vote; recommendations are passed but are not binding on members and generally have had little effect on world politics. The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security and may call on members to take action, chiefly peacekeeping action, to enforce its decisions. The UN's headquarters are in New York City. Security Council is a permanent body of the United Nations seeking to maintain peace and security. It consists of fifteen members, of which five (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) are permanent and have the power of veto. The other members are elected for two-year terms.  Inhabited by Aboriginal peoples since prehistoric times, Australia was explored by the Dutch from 1606; British colonization began in 1788, as did the transportation of convicts from Britain, a practice that was discontinued in 1868. Australia was declared a commonwealth in 1901 when the six colonies (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania) federated as sovereign states. The two mainland federal territories, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, became self-governing in 1978 and 1988, respectively. Although an independent nation, Australia is a constitutional monarchy whose formal head of state is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Austria was dominated from the early Middle Ages by the Habsburg family and became the center of a massive central European empire that lasted until 1918. The country was incorporated within the Nazi Reich in 1938 and after World War II was occupied by the Allies before regaining its sovereignty in 1955. A referendum in 1994 approved Austria's entry into the European Union. Bahrain Ruled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Persians in the 17th

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century, Bahrain became a British protectorate in 1861 and gained independence in 1971. Its economy is dependent on the refining and export of oil. Bangladesh Formerly part of British India, the region, as East Pakistan, became one of the two geographical units of Pakistan. After civil war, the independent republic of Bangladesh was proclaimed in 1971. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal cause repeated devastation to the country. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. Previously inhabited in large part by Tupi and Guarani peoples, Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese, who imported large numbers of slaves from West Africa to work on sugar plantations. The country was proclaimed an independent empire in 1822 and became a republic after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1889. Eastern Canada was colonized by the French in the 17th century, but the British emerged as the ruling colonial power in 1763 after the Seven Years War. Canada became a federation of provinces with dominion status in 1867. The signing of the Constitution Act of 1982 was the final step in attaining legal independence from the UK; however, Canada remains a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. French-speakers are largely concentrated in Quebec, the focal point for the French-Canadian separatist movement. The Czech Republic was formerly one of the two constituent republics of Czechoslovakia. When Czechoslovakia was partitioned on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic became independent. It includes the former provinces of Bohemia, Silesia, and Moravia. In 2004 the Czech Republic joined both NATO and the EU. Denmark emerged as a separate country during the Viking period of the 10th and 11th centuries. In the 14th century Denmark and Norway were united under a Danish king; the union was joined between the late 1300s and 1523 by Sweden, and Norway was ceded to Sweden in 1814. Although neutral, Denmark was occupied by Germany for much of World War II. It joined the EC (now the EU) in 1973. Finland is a northern third of the country lies within the Arctic Circle. Long an area of Swedish–Russian rivalry, Finland was ceded to Russia in 1809 but became an independent republic after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Wars with the former Soviet Union were fought in 1939–40. Finland joined the European Union in 1995. The multiplicity of small German states achieved real unity only with the rise of Prussia and the formation of the German Empire in the mid 19th century. After being defeated in World War I, Germany was taken over in the 1930s by the Nazi dictatorship that led to a policy of expansionism and eventually to complete defeat in World War II. Germany was occupied for a time by the victorious Allies and was partitioned. The western part (including West Berlin), which was occupied by the US, Britain, and France, became the Federal Republic of Germany or West Germany, with its capital at Bonn. The eastern part, occupied by the former Soviet Union, became the German Democratic Republic or East Germany, with its capital in East Berlin. West Germany emerged as a major European industrial power and was a founder member of the EEC, while the East remained under Soviet domination. After

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the general collapse of communism in eastern Europe, East and West Germany reunited on October 3, 1990. Much of India was united under a Muslim sultanate based around Delhi from the 12th century until incorporated in the Mogul empire in the 16th century. Colonial intervention began in the late 17th century, particularly by the British; in 1765, the East India Company acquired the right to administer Bengal. In 1858, after the Indian Mutiny, Britain took over the company's authority, and in 1876 Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. Independence was won in 1947, at which time India was partitioned, and Pakistan was created from mainly Muslim territories in the northeast (now Bangladesh) and the northwest. A member of the Commonwealth of Nations, India is the second most populous country in the world. Indonesia consists of the territories of the former Dutch East Indies, of which the largest are Java, Sumatra, southern Borneo, western New Guinea, the Moluccas, and Sulawesi. The Dutch established control over the area in the 17th century. Independence was won in 1949, although Irian Jaya (now the province of Papua) was not handed over until 1963. An attempted communist coup was crushed by the army in 1965 and East Timor was annexed in 1976. The end of the 20th century saw the introduction of democratic elections and the gaining of full independence by East Timor. In 2004 more than 200,000 people were killed when an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra led to a tsunami that caused devastation in many countries around the Indian Ocean. The modern state of Israel was established as a Jewish homeland in 1948, on land that was at that time part of the British mandated territory of Palestine. Israel was immediately attacked by the surrounding Arab states, which it defeated. The continuing conflict with the neighboring Arabs, mainly over the rights of the Palestinians displaced from their homes or living under Israeli rule, has caused continual tension and intermittent terrorist and military activity. Further wars occurred in 1956, 1967, and 1973, which resulted in Israeli occupation of eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights. In 1993, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed an agreement for limited Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but this proved unsuccessful in bringing about an end to conflict. Successor to Rome, Italy achieved unification in the 19th century. It entered World War I on the Allied side in 1915. In 1922, the country was taken over by Fascist dictator Mussolini; participation in support of Germany during World War II resulted in defeat and Mussolini's downfall. Italy was a founding member of the EEC. From the late 19th century Japan began a modernizing process that eventually made it into a major world power. It fought wars against China 1894–95 and Russia 1904–05, and after World War I occupied Manchuria 1931 and invaded China 1937. Japan entered World War II on the Axis side with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The country surrendered in 1945 after the US dropped the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is now a highly industrialized country and the leading economic power in the region.

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South Korea was formed in 1948 when Korea was partitioned along the 38th parallel; the Korean War (1950–53) was followed by decades of hostility between North and South Korea, but a summit meeting of the two leaders was held in 2000. An emerging industrial power, South Korea has had one of the world's fastest-growing economies since the 1960s. Malaysia is a federation that consists of East Malaysia (the northern part of Borneo, including Sabah and Sarawak) and West Malaysia (the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, formerly Malaya). The two parts of Malaysia are separated from each other by 400 miles (650 km) of the South China Sea. Malaysia was federated as an independent Commonwealth of Nations state in 1963; Singapore, briefly a part of the federation, withdrew in 1965. Netherlands. Following a struggle against the Spanish Habsburg empire, the northern (Dutch) part of the Low Countries won full independence in 1648 and became a leading imperial power. In 1814, north and south were united under a monarchy, but the south revolted in 1830 and, by 1839, had become the independent kingdom of Belgium. In 1948, the Netherlands formed the Benelux Customs Union with Belgium and Luxembourg. It became a founding member of the EEC in 1957. The name Holland strictly refers to the western coastal provinces of the country. New Zealand consists of two major islands (North and South Islands), separated by Cook Strait, and several smaller ones. The first European to sight New Zealand was Dutch navigator Abel Tasman in 1642; the islands were circumnavigated by Captain James Cook in 1769–70 and came under British sovereignty in 1840. Full dominion status was granted in 1907, and independence within the Commonwealth of Nations came in 1931. Nigeria. The site of highly developed kingdoms in the Middle Ages, the area came under British influence during the 19th century and was consolidated into a single colony in 1914. Independence came in 1960, and it became a federal republic in 1963, while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Oil was discovered in the 1960s and 1970s; since then, Nigeria has emerged as one of the world's major exporters. Norway was united with Denmark and Sweden by the Union of Kalmar in 1397, but after Sweden's withdrawal in 1523 became subject to Denmark. Ceded to Sweden in 1814, Norway emerged as an independent kingdom in 1905. An invitation to join the EC was rejected after a referendum in 1972; an application to join the European Union twenty years later was accepted by the European Parliament but failed to win approval in a 1994 referendum. Pakistan was created as a separate country in 1947, following Britain's withdrawal from India. It originally included two territories—one to the east and one to the west of India—in which the population was predominantly Muslim. Civil war in East Pakistan led to the establishment of the independent state of Bangladesh in 1972. Pakistan withdrew from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1972, but rejoined in 1989; it was suspended 1999–2004 following a military coup.

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First united as a nation in the 11th century, Poland became a dominant power in the region in the 16th century but thereafter suffered severely from the rise of Russian, Swedish, Prussian, and Austrian power and was partitioned in the late 18th century. It regained full independence (as a republic) after World War I. Its invasion by German forces in 1939 precipitated World War II, from which it eventually emerged as a communist state under Soviet domination. In the 1980s, the rise of the independent trade union movement Solidarity eventually led to the end of communist rule in 1989. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004. Romania. In the Middle Ages, the area consisted of the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, which were swallowed up by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th–16th centuries. The two principalities gained independence in 1878. After World War II, during which it had supported Germany, Romania became a communist state under Soviet domination. After 1974, the country pursued an increasingly independent course under the virtual dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu. His regime collapsed in violent popular unrest in 1989, and a new democratic constitution was introduced. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. Russia. The modern state originated from the expansion of the principality of Muscovy into a great empire. Russia played an increasing role in Europe from the time of Peter the Great in the early 18th century. Following the overthrow of the tsar in the Russian Revolution of 1917, Russia became the largest of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, with more than three quarters of the area and over half of the population. On the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communist control in 1991, Russia emerged as an independent state and a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Singapore. Established as a trading post under the East India Company in 1819, Singapore came under British colonial rule in 1867. Singapore rapidly grew to become the most important commercial center and naval base in Southeast Asia. After World War II, it became first a British Crown Colony in 1946 and then a self-governing state within the Commonwealth of Nations in 1959. Federated with Malaysia in 1963, it declared full independence two years later. In terms of tonnage handled, Singapore's port is the world's busiest. Spain was dominated by the Moors between 711 and 718 until the rise of independent Christian kingdoms, notably Aragon and Castile, in the medieval period; the last Moorish stronghold, Granada, was won back in the late 15th century. Under the Habsburg kings of the 16th century, Spain became the dominant European power, building up a huge empire in America and elsewhere; most of this was lost in the early 19th century. The Spanish Civil War (1936–39) was followed by the establishment of a Fascist dictatorship under General Franco; after his death in 1975 a constitutional monarchy was re-established. Spain became a member of the EC (now the EU) in 1986. Sweden. Originally united in the 12th century, Sweden formed part of the Union of Kalmar with Denmark and Norway from 1397 until its re-emergence as an independent kingdom in 1523. Between 1814 and 1905, it was united with Norway. A constitutional monarchy, Sweden has pursued a policy of nonalignment, and it remained neutral in the two world wars. Sweden joined the European Union in 1995.

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Switzerland emerged as an independent country in the 14th and 15th centuries, when the states or cantons formed a confederation to defeat first their Habsburg overlords and then their Burgundian neighbors. After a period of French domination (1798–1815) the Swiss Confederation's neutrality was guaranteed by the other European powers. Neutral in both world wars, Switzerland emerged as an international financial center and as the headquarters of several international organizations such as the Red Cross. A powerful Thai kingdom emerged in the 14th century. In the 19th century, it lost territory in the east to France and in the south to Britain. Thailand was occupied by the Japanese during World War II; it supported the US in the Vietnam War, later experiencing a large influx of refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932, the king remaining head of state. The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 by the federation of the independent sheikhdoms formerly called the Trucial States: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah (joined early 1972), Sharjah, and Umm al-Qaiwain. England (which had incorporated Wales in the 16th century) and Scotland have had the same monarch since 1603, when James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English crown as James I; the kingdoms were formally united by the Act of Union in 1707. An Act of Parliament joined Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, but the Irish Free State (later the Republic of Ireland) broke away in 1921. The UK became a member of the EC (now the EU) in 1973. Finally, the International Day of Democracy is an auspicious opportunity for the Philippine Senate to lead the nation in solidarity with other world parliaments, to reaffirm its commitment to the promotion of a genuine democracy by remaining faithful in serving the interests of the Filipino People. I hereby urge the Senate to express its sense in joining the community of nations and parliaments around the world in commemorating the International Day of Democracy on September 15. I also hope that Philippines shall also be elected among the 10 - member of the U.N. Security Council in the years to come. VIVA FILIPINAS! LONG-LIVE PHILIPPINES!

RODEL "HENRY SY" NAVARRO FOR SENATOR 2016

R.H.S.N