Philippines president urges Congress to pass new anti-corruption law News
Philippines president urges Congress to pass new anti-corruption law

[JURIST] Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [official website] asked the Philippine Congress Tuesday to work with her administration to pass a comprehensive anti-corruption reform act [press release] to fight the corruption she said has plagued the country for decades. Arroyo noted that the country's 2008 budget [press release] dedicates more money than previous budgets to anti-corruption efforts. Reuters has more.

Corruption has long been a problem in the Philippines. A recent survey by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy [corporate website] showed that the Philippines' economy is seen as the most corrupt in Asia [Manila Times report], and Transparency International [advocacy website] ranked the nation 131 out of 179 countries [TI materials] for most corrupt in its 2007 survey.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.