I managed to find this article in the Philippine Panorama's 10/21/07 issue. This is for all the scouts out there, especially the Judenite scouts who give much to their school.

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The Boy Scouts of the Philippines: Building character, building a nation

With the Scout Oath starting with “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God d my Country…” and the Scout Law beginning with “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful…” any boy who joins the Scouting Movement and puts in heart and mind what is being asked from him will never be wrong.

Since its establishment, Scouting has become on of the most respected institutions in the Philippines, especially when its influences started reaching even the remotest island.

Scouting, over the years has become an institution of non-formal learning, where its members learn by doing thing themselves without much of guidance from classroom instructors. The program of Scouting has become an adventure trail for every boy who wishes to grow up the right way.

It has been proven in many instances that Scouting prepares the youth to become responsible leaders while giving them the opportunity to have fun, learn, and meet new friends in a tradition that has been handed down from one generation to the next.

Many young men who are now working in private and government offices will always remember the days when they were taught many crafts and good practices anchored on discipline and moral values.

Records at the BSP testify to the success of the movement in achieving its vision “to be the leading provider of progressive, outdoor-based, non-formal education committed to develop morally straight, disciplined, concerned, self-reliant citizens.” Introduce in the Philippines in 1couting became a nationwide organization independent of the Boy Scouts of America in 1923 through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Manila.

Thirteen years later, on October 31, 1936, President Manuel L. Quezon signed into law Commonwealth Act No. 111 establishing the Boy Scouts of the Philippines a a public corporation. This gave impetus to the growth of Scouting with the support of the government and its lead agencies.

The law directed the BSP “to promote through organization and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scout craft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts.”
This ideals are imbued early among the youth who join the Scouting Movement through the BSP’s KID Scouting (Kabataang Iminumulat Diwa) and KAB Scouting (Kabataang Alay sa Bayan), where the areas of activities are the home and school and the Junior, Sneior, and Rover Scouting where they are given the chance to explore the world through outdoor programs and perform service-oriented activities.

Today, the BSP has a total of 2.7 million members and has the highest density among national Scout associations worldwide; one of three boys of Scouting age is a BSP member.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines will conduct its 14th National Jamboree on October 21-27, 2007 at the Philippine Scouting Center for Asia-Pacific Region, Makiling National Scout Reservation, Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna. At least 12,000 boy and senior Scouts from all over the country and other parts of the world will participate in the event, which is being held every three years. They will also be celebrating their 71st founding anniversary on October 31, 2007.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines represents the young population of Filipinos. It deserves the support of everyone as it widens its role not just as a provider of fun and learning but as a partner of the government in nation-building.

Many of its activities are geared to community service, among tree planting, community clean-up, and other government-initiated campaigns like anti-rug and anti-crime drives.

One recent remarkable contribution of the BSP in its anti-corruption campaign was the Textbook Count a project of the Ateneo School of Government aimed at counting the books for distribution to various schools. Scouts from all over the country were tapped to work with other organizations to ensure that books reach the intended beneficiaries on time and in right number.

Scouting is replete with stories of self-sacrifice and heroism. Many young scouts have died and eventually became heroes when they offered their own lives in serving others in time of disasters and calamities.

Parents who are worried over the future of their young children, especially now that the Internet age has offered a lot of probabilities to do wrong, should take into consideration the learning and the clean fun that await their sons in Scouting.

Private and government institutions, leaders and policy maker should consider Scouting as one of the last bastions of good governance and citizenship. The success of Scouting means the success of the Filipino in his own development as a law-abiding citizen serving our people.

We congratulate the Boy Scouts of the Philippines headed by its national president, Makati Mayor Jejomar C. Binay, its officers and members, on the occasion of their 14th National Jamboree and their 71st founding anniversary, and wish them success in all their endeavors.


Boy Scouts of the Philippines: Building character, building a nation. (2007 October 21). Philippine Panorama, p.3. Quezon City.