The Philippines is named after the Spanish king, Philip II, under whose orders the country was colonized in 1565. Since the Philippines gained independence in 1946, there have been several attempts to have the country's name changed, mainly because it is of colonial extraction. Each proposal for a name change has been shot down, and the Philippines has prevailed. Defenders of the Philippines have argued that it is the veritable symbol of a saga of nation-building, of the struggle for freedom, and a true emblem of the nation and national identity.