By: Max J. Edralin, Jr.,National PR Commissioner


Properly administered, Scouting can be the most effective companion of the home and the school in the proper up bringing of children, especially in this day and age when the young people are facing many distractions in their own growth and development.

The growth and development of Scouting in the Philippines is an interesting story, unique in the history of this world Movement, that should make every Filipino proud. It is among the oldest in the world. As early as 1914, a Boy Scout troop already existed in Zamboanga. This is just seven years after Lord Baden-Powell founded Scouting in England in 1907 and four years after the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910.

It is today the third largest Scout organization in the world - next only to those in the U.S. and Indonesia - with a membership of more than 6.5 million boys and girls. And the incumbent head of the Scouting Movement worldwide, the chairman of the World Scout Committee based in Geneva, is a Filipino, Atty. Francisco S. Roman, former president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Probably the most significant development is that Scouting is also developing a new image of its own, or more accurately restoring its old image, as an important component of the country's educational system.

As we write a committee is being formed at the request of the new Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), Brother Andrew Gonzales, FSC, to create in his own words "a workable program to ensure quality and relevant Scouting environment within the educational system." The expectation is to be able to define the role of Scouting in education, given the presence of the bulk of its membership in the schools.

This is significant because while before people thought of Scouting in terms of boys helping some elderly cross the street or saving a drowning victim, today the image of the organization is different. People think of it as only recreational and fun.

Scouting is in fact an educational process. In the words of Dr. Jacques Moreillon, the Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, Scouting is indeed fun but "fun with a purpose and that purpose is education for life."

Properly administered, Scouting can be the most effective companion of the home and the school in the proper upbringing of children, especially in this day and age when the young people are facing many distractions in their own growth and development. The history of Scouting in the Philippines dares back to the early years of the American occupation when young soldiers, who came here to quell pockets of resistance following the Philippine-American war ran Boy and Girl Scouts troops for briefs periods in their places of assignment. There are records of an all-Muslim troop formed in Zamboanga, and even the date of the investiture is known - November 15, 1914.

There are pictures and accounts of that troop which was organized by a young army lieutenant by the name of Sherman L. Kiser. It was named the Lorillard Spencer troop, after the Boy Scout son of Mrs. Caroline Spencer an American social worker who gave the idea of organizing a Scout troop to Lt. Kiser.

However, the formal introduction of Scouting nationwide did not take place until October 5, 1923 when, at the request of the Rotary Club of Manila, the Boy Scouts of America authorized the establishment of the Philippine Council of the BSA. For the next 15 years, Scouting in the country flourished as part and under the direction of the BSA.

The Philippine Council, BSA started with only 330 members but the membership grew steadily despite objections coming from well meaning nationalists who suspected Scouting as another tool to make American colonization of the islands more attractive.

Realizing the benefits that Scouting was bringing to the boys, Assemblyman Tomas Confessor of Iloilo sponsored a bill in the National Assembly providing for the establishment of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines to replace the BSA.

The bill was signed into law as Commonwealth Act. No 111 by President Manuel L. Quezon on October 31, 1936. this explains why October is Scouting Month and this year is being celebrated by the BSP as its 62nd anniversary.

Commonwealth Act 111 created the BSP as a public corporation which was tasked to promote "the ability of the boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts."

The incorporators were Joseph E. H. Stevenot, Arsenio N. Luz, Carlos P. Romulo, Vicente P. Lim, Manuel R. Camus, Jorge B. Vargas, and Gabriel A. Daza. They are known as the charter members and Founding Fathers of the BSP. They constituted the first Executive Board of the organization.

Col. Stevenot, who was then the executive vice president and general manager of the Philippine Long Distance Tlephone Company, was the first President of the BSP and he stayed in office from the time of its inauguration on January 1, 1938 until the outbreak of the Pacific war. The other officers were Vargas, first vice-president; Romulo, second vice president; Lim, treasurer, Camus, national scout commissioner; Exequiel Villacorta, chief Scout executive; and Severino araos, deputy chief Scout executive.

The Girl Scouts of the Philippines came later when the BSP sent Mrs. Josefa Llanes Escoda to the U. S. and Europe in 1939 to take up a course in Scouting and observe Girl scout unit operation there. The GSP's charter, commonwealth Act No. 542, was signed into law also by President Quezon on May 26, 1940.

Both organizations ceased operations during the war because the Japanese occupation forces forbade Scouting activities but there were many stories the emerged later about the heroism of Boy and Girl Scouts helping the wounded and putting out fires during the early stages of the war.

They resumed their activities in 1945 and immediately membership picked up fast, indicating wide acceptance of Scouting by the public. The BSP was recognized as a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement on October 1, 1946 while the GSP was admitted into the World Association of Guides and Girl Scouts two years later.

In 1959, the BSP was honored to be the host of the 10th World Scout Jamboree, the first time that the world event was held in Asia.

The BSP also hosted the first Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree later in 1973. Tragedy struck on July 28, 1963, when a United Arab plane plunged into the sea off the coast of Bombay, India, killing all the 24 members of the Philippine contingent to the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Marathon, Greece. The delegation, consisting of 20 boys and four adult leaders, boarded the aircraft in Hong Kong that was supposed to bring them all the way to Greece via Bangkok and Bombay . The Crash took place on the Bangkok to Bombay leg of the journey.

They are honored today as heroes in a mausoleum constructed for them at the Manila North Cemetery and in streets named after them in Quezon City.

The membership of the BSP reached the 500,000 level in 1965 and the million mark in 1972. Membership growth climbed with little effort on the part of the BSP leadership because the Department of Education began to issue directives mandating the formation of Scout units in all schools with the school officials themselves assuming leadership roles.

The year 1971 marked another milestone in the history of the BSP with the election of Antonio C. Delgado as chairman of the world Scout Committee, the same position that Atty. Francisco S. Roman occupies today. Delgado was elected during the 23rd World Scout Conference held in Tokyo on August 12-17, 1971.

There was no interruption in Scouting activities during the martial law years which began in 1972. What changed was the administration of the Movement under the Office of the President.

PD 460 was the governing law for 18 years, including all the six years of the administration of President Aquino. March 24, 1992, President Aquino signed Republic No. 7278 which required a nearly complete reversal of PD 460. The avowed objective of RA 7278 was to restore the "volunteer and democratic character" of the scouting movement.

This meant the holding of elections with nationwide representation as opposed to the selection of members of the National Executive Board by the President under PD 460.

The introduction of the nationwide election process altered abruptly the leadership profile of the BSP. It led to the emergence of popular politicians in the BSP leadership like governors, city mayors and congressmen. Up to that time, the leadership had come from the ranks of business, academe and non-politicians in the government.

But the membership growth continued to climb despite the changes in the national office brought about by political developments. Today the BSP has 3.5 million members and the Girl scouts have 3 million, and the figures are bound to rise soon again with the BSP targeting a goal of 5 million members by the year 2002 in conformity with the goals of the world leadership.

The thrust of the present BSP leadership under National President Jejomar C. Binay is to ensure quality Scouting amid the soaring membership growth. This is not easy. To do this, the training program must keep pace with the growth in numbers - and this is not happening.

There are problems. One of them is sheer size. With the bulk of the 3.5 million Boy Scouts enrolled in the schools, the BSP has to reach and train as many as 100,000 teachers doubling as unit leaders so that they can train the boys under them in turn. Another problem is the voluntary nature of the Movement. Not being a part of the curriculum, Scouting has to depend on the convenience of the boys and the teacher unit leaders.

These are the problems that the committee suggested by Secretary Gonazalez is expected to address. Having recognized the importance of Scouting as an educational aid, the committee is expected to look for or devise a mechanism that will permit Scouting in the schools to work for the benefit of both boys and girls in the Movement. Integrating Scouting in the school system, short of including it in the curriculum may be an option.

The important thing is to bring about a situation where every boy and girl in the Movement is given the opportunity to learn instead of merely participating in parades, which happens when the teachers and the children are not allowed to find time for it.

Learning means finding the time for meetings and outdoor activities to internalize the Scout Oath and Law, to acquire useful skills through the merit badge system, develop patriotism and spirit of service by participating in community activities.

A Scout goes up an "advancement ladder" and, in the case of the Boy Scouts, this means a learning experience from Tenderfoot to Eagle, just like going to school except that there is no classroom pressure because teaching takes place while the boy is having fun. Scouting in the Philippines has come a long way in terms of membership size and stature. What is being done is to bring the Movement back to the basics to make sure that in the obsession to become the biggest organization its main reason for being, which is education, is not overlooked. The committee of Secretary Gonzalez has a lot of work.