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The Birth and Development of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines
Synopsis
Scouting was introduced in the Philippines by the Americans as early as 1910. However, the earliest recorded all-Filipino troop was organized in Zamboanga by a young second lieutenant by the name of Sherman L. Kiser through the sponsorship of Mrs. Caroline S. Spencer, an American widow who was in the Philippines to do works of charity with the people of Sulu in 1914. The troop was composed of 26 Muslim boys and was known as the Lorillard Spencer Troop in honor of Mrs. Spencer's son who was an active Scout in the U.S.A.
In 1923, the Philippine Council BSA was formed through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Manila mainly to launch Scouting as a nationwide movement and provide guidance to the troops which had been independently organized throughout the country. Eventually, through the issuance of Commonwealth Act No. 111 by then President Manuel L. Quezon on October 31, 1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was established as a public corporation tasked to, according to Section 3 of the law: "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."
From the early troops in 1914, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines prides itself today as one of the largest Scout organizations in the world, in terms of the number of Scouts against the number of young people of Scouting age, with over 2 million members nationwide.
In 1923, the Philippine Council BSA was formed through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Manila mainly to launch Scouting as a nationwide movement and provide guidance to the troops which had been independently organized throughout the country. Eventually, through the issuance of Commonwealth Act No. 111 by then President Manuel L. Quezon on October 31, 1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was established as a public corporation tasked to, according to Section 3 of the law: "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."
From the early troops in 1914, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines prides itself today as one of the largest Scout organizations in the world, in terms of the number of Scouts against the number of young people of Scouting age, with over 2 million members nationwide.
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Introduction
Any attempt to write the history of Scouting in the Philippines must perforce begin with the impressive milestones – because there are many of them – to describe the long road that the Movement has traveled to grow in size and reputation and become, in the words of President Fidel v. Ramos, the chief Scout, a “powerful process for youth development.”
The election of Atty. Francisco S. Roman as Chairman of the World Scout Committee is one such milestone. Coming as it did during the 34th World Scout Conference held in Oslo, Norway, on July 8-12 , 1996, Atty Roman's triumph thrust the Boy Scouts of the Philippines to the limelight in time to add glitter to the celebration of the 60th year of Diamond Jubilee of its founding.
With Atty. Roman, a former National President of the BSP and later its International Commissioner, at the helm of the World Scout Committee, a Filipino once again presides over the highest governing body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) with a membership now exceeding 30 million boys and adult leaders in more than 150 countries.
President Ramos, a Life Member of the BSP, was quick to recognize the significance of this development. In a message to the new top World Scout official, the President said “this is truly a fine tribute to your own dynamic involvement in the Scouting movement as it is a reflection of the growing globality of the Filipino, as well as the respect, admiration and confidence that our country has gained in the international community.”
Atty. Roman repeated the achievement of the late Antonio c. Delgado, a businessman and a Rotarian like himself, who became the first World Scout Committee Chairman form Asia 25 years ago, during the 23rd World Scout Conference held in Tokyo, Japan, on August 12-17, 1971. Delgado was then the BSP Vice President for International Affairs.
Three other Filipinos have had this rare distinction of being elected members of the World Scout Committee, namely, Jorge B. Vargas (at the 13th International Conference held in Australia in 1951, Dr. Mariano V. De los Santos (at the 16tth International Conference in 1957) and H.B. Reyes (at the 18th International Conference held in Portugal in 1961). The International Committee at present called the World Scout Committee, was formed by the founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, during the first Biennial Conference that he called in 1920 to establish a management structure and provide direction to the Scout units that as early as that time were already mushrooming all over the world.
One other distinction for which Philippine Scouting is known is its immense size. With its school-based membership constantly between 2.5 and 2.6 million boys, the BSP has been for many years the largest Scouting organization in Asia and the second in the world. The situation may soon change, however, with the approval in Oslo of a reduced fee system for Third World countries and the news about a sudden surge in membership of the Gerakan Pramuka in Indonesia as a result. Still, the BSP is expected to remain one of the three largest National Scout Associations in the world.
As a measure of the prestige that the BSP enjoyed – and continues to enjoy – in the international community, the Philippines hosted the 10th World Jamboree in 1959, the first time that a World Jamboree was held in Asia. The Philippines was the site also of the First Asia-Pacific Jamboree in 1973 , as well as the the 12th Asia Pacific Jamboree in 1991 of which President Ramos, at that time the Secretary of National Defense, was Chairman of the Organizing Committee. The Philippines likewise hosted the fist ASEAN Jamboree in 1993 with President Ramos again as the moving spirit behind the project.
In recognition of his outstanding service to Scouting, President Ramos received the Bronze Wolf medal, the highest and only international medal given by WOSM in 1955. The first Filipino to receive the coveted award was Jorge B. Vargas, who was the BSP President from 1949 to 1961, followed by Gabriel A. Daza, who was President from 1961 to 1968, and Atty. Roman, who received the award following his stint as Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee(1989-1992). Roman received the award during the 33rd World Scout conference held in Bangkok in 1993, at which time he was also elected member of the World Scout Committee.
Another distinctive feather in the cap of Philippine Scouting came in 1956 when the Philippines was selected the seat of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Headquarters that has since been providing direction and guidance to more than half of the world's Scout population. The 40th Anniversary of that event was celebrated in Malacanang on July 24, 1996 with President Ramos receiving the Asia-Pacific Regional Award for Distinguished Service form the officials of the Regional Committee.
The Asia-Pacific Scout Region has grown from 10 countries with 1.2 million members in 1956 to 23 countries with 18 million members today. The First Regional Chairman was a Filipino, Dr. Mariano V. de los Santos, then the President of the University of Manila, while the first Executive Commissioner was Guillermo R. Padolina, another Filipino. Predictably, the First Far East Regional conference was held in Baguio city in 1958.
It was no wonder that Atty. Roman's predecessor in the World Scout Committee, Neil M. Westaway of Australia, was moved to say, while on a visit to the Philippines in 1995, that growth and development of the BSP “is one of the great success stories of World Scouting.”
There are three ways of reckoning the beginning of Scouting in the Philippines, each one of which could be a legitimate cause for celebration.
If the existence of Boy Scouts in the Philippines is the basis, there are accounts that cannot be disputed that there were Scouts in the country soon after the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. There are records about an all-Muslim troop that was formed in Zamboanga on November 15, 1914. However, the formation of the early Scout units was generally sporadic, done without formal direction mostly by American soldiers working under the new colonial government at the time.
The formal introduction of Scouting in the Philippines actually took place in 1923 with the establishment of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America under the auspices of the Rotary Club of Manila. There was a big celebration of the 50th year or Golden Anniversary of that event in 1973. Indeed, 1923 marked the launching of Scouting on a nationwide scale and is acknowledged as the formal establishment of the Scouting organization in the country.
Still, there is a third point of reckoning and this was the establishment of the the Boy Scouts of the Philippines following the signing of Commonwealth Act No. 111 in 1936. This marked the emancipation , the declaration of independence, as it were, of Philippine Boy Scouts from the BSA.
The election of Atty. Francisco S. Roman as Chairman of the World Scout Committee is one such milestone. Coming as it did during the 34th World Scout Conference held in Oslo, Norway, on July 8-12 , 1996, Atty Roman's triumph thrust the Boy Scouts of the Philippines to the limelight in time to add glitter to the celebration of the 60th year of Diamond Jubilee of its founding.
With Atty. Roman, a former National President of the BSP and later its International Commissioner, at the helm of the World Scout Committee, a Filipino once again presides over the highest governing body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) with a membership now exceeding 30 million boys and adult leaders in more than 150 countries.
President Ramos, a Life Member of the BSP, was quick to recognize the significance of this development. In a message to the new top World Scout official, the President said “this is truly a fine tribute to your own dynamic involvement in the Scouting movement as it is a reflection of the growing globality of the Filipino, as well as the respect, admiration and confidence that our country has gained in the international community.”
Atty. Roman repeated the achievement of the late Antonio c. Delgado, a businessman and a Rotarian like himself, who became the first World Scout Committee Chairman form Asia 25 years ago, during the 23rd World Scout Conference held in Tokyo, Japan, on August 12-17, 1971. Delgado was then the BSP Vice President for International Affairs.
Three other Filipinos have had this rare distinction of being elected members of the World Scout Committee, namely, Jorge B. Vargas (at the 13th International Conference held in Australia in 1951, Dr. Mariano V. De los Santos (at the 16tth International Conference in 1957) and H.B. Reyes (at the 18th International Conference held in Portugal in 1961). The International Committee at present called the World Scout Committee, was formed by the founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, during the first Biennial Conference that he called in 1920 to establish a management structure and provide direction to the Scout units that as early as that time were already mushrooming all over the world.
One other distinction for which Philippine Scouting is known is its immense size. With its school-based membership constantly between 2.5 and 2.6 million boys, the BSP has been for many years the largest Scouting organization in Asia and the second in the world. The situation may soon change, however, with the approval in Oslo of a reduced fee system for Third World countries and the news about a sudden surge in membership of the Gerakan Pramuka in Indonesia as a result. Still, the BSP is expected to remain one of the three largest National Scout Associations in the world.
As a measure of the prestige that the BSP enjoyed – and continues to enjoy – in the international community, the Philippines hosted the 10th World Jamboree in 1959, the first time that a World Jamboree was held in Asia. The Philippines was the site also of the First Asia-Pacific Jamboree in 1973 , as well as the the 12th Asia Pacific Jamboree in 1991 of which President Ramos, at that time the Secretary of National Defense, was Chairman of the Organizing Committee. The Philippines likewise hosted the fist ASEAN Jamboree in 1993 with President Ramos again as the moving spirit behind the project.
In recognition of his outstanding service to Scouting, President Ramos received the Bronze Wolf medal, the highest and only international medal given by WOSM in 1955. The first Filipino to receive the coveted award was Jorge B. Vargas, who was the BSP President from 1949 to 1961, followed by Gabriel A. Daza, who was President from 1961 to 1968, and Atty. Roman, who received the award following his stint as Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee(1989-1992). Roman received the award during the 33rd World Scout conference held in Bangkok in 1993, at which time he was also elected member of the World Scout Committee.
Another distinctive feather in the cap of Philippine Scouting came in 1956 when the Philippines was selected the seat of the Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Headquarters that has since been providing direction and guidance to more than half of the world's Scout population. The 40th Anniversary of that event was celebrated in Malacanang on July 24, 1996 with President Ramos receiving the Asia-Pacific Regional Award for Distinguished Service form the officials of the Regional Committee.
The Asia-Pacific Scout Region has grown from 10 countries with 1.2 million members in 1956 to 23 countries with 18 million members today. The First Regional Chairman was a Filipino, Dr. Mariano V. de los Santos, then the President of the University of Manila, while the first Executive Commissioner was Guillermo R. Padolina, another Filipino. Predictably, the First Far East Regional conference was held in Baguio city in 1958.
It was no wonder that Atty. Roman's predecessor in the World Scout Committee, Neil M. Westaway of Australia, was moved to say, while on a visit to the Philippines in 1995, that growth and development of the BSP “is one of the great success stories of World Scouting.”
There are three ways of reckoning the beginning of Scouting in the Philippines, each one of which could be a legitimate cause for celebration.
If the existence of Boy Scouts in the Philippines is the basis, there are accounts that cannot be disputed that there were Scouts in the country soon after the establishment of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. There are records about an all-Muslim troop that was formed in Zamboanga on November 15, 1914. However, the formation of the early Scout units was generally sporadic, done without formal direction mostly by American soldiers working under the new colonial government at the time.
The formal introduction of Scouting in the Philippines actually took place in 1923 with the establishment of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America under the auspices of the Rotary Club of Manila. There was a big celebration of the 50th year or Golden Anniversary of that event in 1973. Indeed, 1923 marked the launching of Scouting on a nationwide scale and is acknowledged as the formal establishment of the Scouting organization in the country.
Still, there is a third point of reckoning and this was the establishment of the the Boy Scouts of the Philippines following the signing of Commonwealth Act No. 111 in 1936. This marked the emancipation , the declaration of independence, as it were, of Philippine Boy Scouts from the BSA.
The Early Years
And yet to be correct, the history of Scouting in the Philippines must go back to the beginning of the American occupation of the islands, which make it one of the oldest in the world. This is supported by a wealth of information about the history of Scouting in the Philippines in a book written by Mr. Alfonso J. Aluit entitled “A Bequest of Hope” in 1973.
Lord Baden-Powell launched the Scouting Movement when he brought 20 boys to Brownsea Island off the southern coast of England for the first Boy Scout camp in August 1907. The Movement reached the United States with the formal incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. There are accounts that say that the Americans took steps to bring Scouting to the Philippines incident to the colonization of the country after 1910 and that, in fact, there were Boy Scout units in Manila by 1912.
These accounts are believable because the U.S. government in those times was engaged in pacification campaign here in the aftermath of the bloody Philippine-American war. These accounts are contained in a book entitled “The Boy Scout Story,” which is about the beginning of Scouting in America by Wm. Charles Ousler published in 1955.
The book recalls that at one meeting of the BSA committee on Organization, a report was submitted stating that “Scoutmasters have been enrolled approximating 2,500 (from) 44 States in the Union and our two dependencies, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.” Another references to the Philippines in the book was about the first meeting of the BSA National Council in Washington in 1911. The book quoted the BSA Executive Secretary, Dr. James E. West, as announcing the formation of troops not only in continental United States “but also in Puerto Rico, Honolulu and Manila.” Dr. West ran the BSA for 32 years from 1911 to 1943.
These statements, while sketchy, were confirmed by disclosures across the Atlantic by Lord Baden-Powell himself. The venerable founder of the Movement wrote an article in the July 27, 1912 issue of “The Scout,” a magazine of the British Scout Association, about a trip he made to the Philippines in the summer of that year. By then he had retired from the British Army, where he emerged as the most celebrated officer at the time, to devote his full time to Scouting.
Baden-Powell described the Philippines and Filipinos in detail in his article. At one point,he observed, “Filipinos are very fond of music, and almost every boy would (try to) get our Musician's Badge.” And when he came to describing Philippine products like coconut, hemp, sugar and tobacco, the old warrior added. “But there are also some still more important products in Manila and other neighboring towns. I think I need scarcely tell you, these are Boy Scouts.”
These 1912 article carried a sub-heading “Boy Scouts of the Philippines, “full 24 years before the BSP came into being.”
Baden-Powell went on to tell about a fire in Manila that rendered 3,000 people homeless and how delighted he was by what he was told about the incident. He said, “Two patrols of the Manila Boy Scouts reached the fire almost with the firemen, reported to the proper authorities, and worked for hours under very trying conditions...” He said they “performed cheerfully, and efficiently all the tasks given by the firemen and the Scoutmaster.” He identified the Scoutmaster as Mr. Elwood Brown of YMCA Manila.
Mr. Aluit said what is established by Baden-Powell's story is that by 1912 there was a Boy Scout troop functioning in Manila. What is not known is whether they were Filipino or American boys.
The same Mr. Brown and other American names were mentioned later by the late Atty. William H. Quasha in his own recollection of the beginning of Scouting in the Philippines. Quasha, an American who died only this year at age 82 following a brilliant career as a legal luminary, philanthropist, and Scouter, confirmed that as early s 1910 “these Americans who were living in the Philippines commenced Boy Scout troops here and encouraged their growth.”
Lord Baden-Powell launched the Scouting Movement when he brought 20 boys to Brownsea Island off the southern coast of England for the first Boy Scout camp in August 1907. The Movement reached the United States with the formal incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. There are accounts that say that the Americans took steps to bring Scouting to the Philippines incident to the colonization of the country after 1910 and that, in fact, there were Boy Scout units in Manila by 1912.
These accounts are believable because the U.S. government in those times was engaged in pacification campaign here in the aftermath of the bloody Philippine-American war. These accounts are contained in a book entitled “The Boy Scout Story,” which is about the beginning of Scouting in America by Wm. Charles Ousler published in 1955.
The book recalls that at one meeting of the BSA committee on Organization, a report was submitted stating that “Scoutmasters have been enrolled approximating 2,500 (from) 44 States in the Union and our two dependencies, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.” Another references to the Philippines in the book was about the first meeting of the BSA National Council in Washington in 1911. The book quoted the BSA Executive Secretary, Dr. James E. West, as announcing the formation of troops not only in continental United States “but also in Puerto Rico, Honolulu and Manila.” Dr. West ran the BSA for 32 years from 1911 to 1943.
These statements, while sketchy, were confirmed by disclosures across the Atlantic by Lord Baden-Powell himself. The venerable founder of the Movement wrote an article in the July 27, 1912 issue of “The Scout,” a magazine of the British Scout Association, about a trip he made to the Philippines in the summer of that year. By then he had retired from the British Army, where he emerged as the most celebrated officer at the time, to devote his full time to Scouting.
Baden-Powell described the Philippines and Filipinos in detail in his article. At one point,he observed, “Filipinos are very fond of music, and almost every boy would (try to) get our Musician's Badge.” And when he came to describing Philippine products like coconut, hemp, sugar and tobacco, the old warrior added. “But there are also some still more important products in Manila and other neighboring towns. I think I need scarcely tell you, these are Boy Scouts.”
These 1912 article carried a sub-heading “Boy Scouts of the Philippines, “full 24 years before the BSP came into being.”
Baden-Powell went on to tell about a fire in Manila that rendered 3,000 people homeless and how delighted he was by what he was told about the incident. He said, “Two patrols of the Manila Boy Scouts reached the fire almost with the firemen, reported to the proper authorities, and worked for hours under very trying conditions...” He said they “performed cheerfully, and efficiently all the tasks given by the firemen and the Scoutmaster.” He identified the Scoutmaster as Mr. Elwood Brown of YMCA Manila.
Mr. Aluit said what is established by Baden-Powell's story is that by 1912 there was a Boy Scout troop functioning in Manila. What is not known is whether they were Filipino or American boys.
The same Mr. Brown and other American names were mentioned later by the late Atty. William H. Quasha in his own recollection of the beginning of Scouting in the Philippines. Quasha, an American who died only this year at age 82 following a brilliant career as a legal luminary, philanthropist, and Scouter, confirmed that as early s 1910 “these Americans who were living in the Philippines commenced Boy Scout troops here and encouraged their growth.”
The First Filipino Troop
There are very few actual accounts of the early Scouting activities in the Philippines. One of these few documented stories was the formation of an all-Muslim troop in Zamboanga in 1914. The story is documented not only in pictures and the account of the organizer himself but also in actual interviews with the two surviving members of that troop in 1973. Those interviews, done by two Scouters – Antonio T. Uy of Davao and Armando Puno of Zamboanga – are contained in an article they wrote in a commemorative issue of the Philippine Scouting magazine in 1973.
The setting for the formation of the all-Muslim troop was the early years of the American occupation when American soldiers were all over the country to quell the remaining pockets of rebellion after the Philippine-American war. The initiative to form a troop, according to Messr. Uy and Puno, came from Mrs. Caroline S. Spencer, an American widow who was in the Philippines o do works of charity with the natives of Sulu. Assigned to arrange for her transportation and accompany her during her trips to various islands in the archipelago was a young second lieutenant by the name of Sherman L. Kiser.
In one of their trips, Mrs. Spencer noticed small boys wandering aimlessly and she wondered aloud about having someone to worry about having someone to worry about providing direction direction to their lives. She suggested to Lt. Kiser to form a Boy Sout troop and they discussed the matters seriously. It was natural for Mrs. Spencer to suggest this because her son, Lorrilard Spencer, Jr., was active in Scouting in the United States.
Unfortunately, Lt. Kiser was soon reassigned to Zamboanga and Mrs. Spencer herself had to return to the U.S. And so the plan to form a troop in Sulu did not materialize. However, Lt. Kiser decided to carry out the plan in Zamboanga. Because he saw there are same problem situation involving boys of Scouting age. He formed troops of 26 boys, all Muslims, and the community responded enthusiastically. Lt. Kiser wrote later that when Mrs. Spencer heard about the good news, she sent enough money to buy uniforms and construct a headquarters for the boys.
And so, as far as the Philippine Scouting history goes, the first recorded Filipino Boy Scout troop was formed in Zamboanga on November 15, 1914, the date the boys took their oath before Lt. Kiser. It was called Lorillard Spencer Troop, after the son of Mrs. Spencer.
On the basis of the names of the members of the troop kept by Lt. Kiser, who wrote about the troop later as retired army colonel, Scouters Uy and Puno launched an unbelievable search for survivors in 1973. They found two of them – Abdurahman Indasan Amping, who was then 74 years old and an imam (priest) in Zamboanga, and Datu Pangilan Abtahi, 72 a retired school teacher and chief of police in Davao province. Amping and Abtahi vividly recalled the excitement about the “new thing” that came to their lives in 1914 and remembered going to camping and hiking, including the skills that they learned like knot-tying and producing fire by rubbing pieces of bamboo together. Lt. Kiser had good reason to be proud of his achievement.
Amping and Abtahi ,together with three other survivors who surfaced subsequently were special guests at the First Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree held at Mt. Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna in 1973.
There are other accounts that mention the formation of other troops elsewhere,including the Corregidor where Lt. Kiser was assigned later, but there are no record or details of these. One exception is the story about a troop that was formed in Boac, Marinduque by 16-year old Celso Mirafuente in 1922 on the basis of a BSA handbook and clippings of Boys Life magazine that came into his possession. There is no question that the troop existed. In fact, according to Mt. Aluit, the BSP made this patent when it presented an award to Mirafuente in 1954 as a pioneer Scouter in the province of Marinduque.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
BSP: A Brief History
Scouting in thePhilippines is among the oldest in the world, with an all-Filipino Boy Scout troop organized in Mindanao as early as 1914. This is early if one recognizes that Scouting started in England, with Lord Baden-Powell behind it, in 1908 and was introduced in the United States only in 1910.
The first Boy Scout troop in the Philippines was composed entirely of Filipino Muslims boys. The troop was organized by Lt. Sherman L. Kiser of the Philippine Scouts, U.S. Army, at an army barracks in Zamboanga. It was named the Lorillard Spencer Troop, in honor of the son of Mrs. Caroline Spencer, whose idea and support made the formation of the troop possible. On January 1923, the Boy Scouts of America, Philippine Council was formally organized through the initiative of the Manila Rotary Club. The program of the Boy Scouts of America was utilized in thePhilippines.
Realizing that Scouting had come to stay in the Philippines, Assemblyman Tomas Confesor of Iloilosponsored the bill in the National Assembly incorporating the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, with Col. J.E.H. Stevenot, Judge Manuel Camus, Gen Vicente Lim, Arsenio N. Luz, Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge B. Vargas and Gabriel Daza as incorporators and Charter members. This was signed into Law as Commonwealth Act No. 111 on October 31, 1936 by President Manuel L. Quezon.
Operations of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines was temporarily disrupted during the Japanese occupation (1942-1945) and resumed on February 24, 1945 when the National Council of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines was established.
On October 1, 1946, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was recognized as a member of the World Scout Movement by the World Scout Conference as an independent national scout association.
In 1959, in recognition of its leadership in Scouting in Asia, the 10thWorld Jamboree was held in Mt. Makiling, Laguna. It was the first time a World Jamboree was held outside of Europe. The date also marked establishment of theNational Scout TrainingCenter in Makiling.
In 1961, the BSP National Executive Board approved and adopted a Revitalized Scouting Program. This officially launched on June 19, 1961, the first successful attempt at Filipinization of the Scout Program.
In 1972, the Boy Scout of the Philippinesmembership surpassed the million mark, ranking it as the largest Scout Organization in Asia and largest in the World.
At present the Boy Scouts of the Philippineswith its membership of 2.5 million Scouts ranks second in the Asia-Pacific Region, and is thord to the Boy Scouts of America in World membership is 28 million with 75% of the membership coming from the Asia-Pacific Region.
To effect changes in its organization charter, Presidential Decree 460 was issued by them President Ferdinand E. Marcos on May 17, 1974, amending certain provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 111 and mandating a restructuring of the Boy Scout of the Philippines.
As part of the continuing effort to make Scouting relevant to the needs of the Filipino youth and nation, the BSP National executive Board approved a Scheme for Program Formation and a Revised Commissioner Setup on May 28, 1986.
The program of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines with its four sections would follow the New Directions Program (KAB Scouting) for 1975.
Revitalized Boy Scouting Program (Young Scout) for 1961, and the Service Scouting Section (Senior Scout) of 1975. This became effective until December, 1991, following the finalization of the New Horizons Program by mid-year of 1991. The Rover Scouting Program has also been readapted with certain modifications following the revitalized Rover Scouting program on April 23, 1962. A fifth Scout Section, KID Scouting was formally approved by the National Executive Board on February 26, 1990.
The rest is more colorful history.
The setting for the formation of the all-Muslim troop was the early years of the American occupation when American soldiers were all over the country to quell the remaining pockets of rebellion after the Philippine-American war. The initiative to form a troop, according to Messr. Uy and Puno, came from Mrs. Caroline S. Spencer, an American widow who was in the Philippines o do works of charity with the natives of Sulu. Assigned to arrange for her transportation and accompany her during her trips to various islands in the archipelago was a young second lieutenant by the name of Sherman L. Kiser.
In one of their trips, Mrs. Spencer noticed small boys wandering aimlessly and she wondered aloud about having someone to worry about having someone to worry about providing direction direction to their lives. She suggested to Lt. Kiser to form a Boy Sout troop and they discussed the matters seriously. It was natural for Mrs. Spencer to suggest this because her son, Lorrilard Spencer, Jr., was active in Scouting in the United States.
Unfortunately, Lt. Kiser was soon reassigned to Zamboanga and Mrs. Spencer herself had to return to the U.S. And so the plan to form a troop in Sulu did not materialize. However, Lt. Kiser decided to carry out the plan in Zamboanga. Because he saw there are same problem situation involving boys of Scouting age. He formed troops of 26 boys, all Muslims, and the community responded enthusiastically. Lt. Kiser wrote later that when Mrs. Spencer heard about the good news, she sent enough money to buy uniforms and construct a headquarters for the boys.
And so, as far as the Philippine Scouting history goes, the first recorded Filipino Boy Scout troop was formed in Zamboanga on November 15, 1914, the date the boys took their oath before Lt. Kiser. It was called Lorillard Spencer Troop, after the son of Mrs. Spencer.
On the basis of the names of the members of the troop kept by Lt. Kiser, who wrote about the troop later as retired army colonel, Scouters Uy and Puno launched an unbelievable search for survivors in 1973. They found two of them – Abdurahman Indasan Amping, who was then 74 years old and an imam (priest) in Zamboanga, and Datu Pangilan Abtahi, 72 a retired school teacher and chief of police in Davao province. Amping and Abtahi vividly recalled the excitement about the “new thing” that came to their lives in 1914 and remembered going to camping and hiking, including the skills that they learned like knot-tying and producing fire by rubbing pieces of bamboo together. Lt. Kiser had good reason to be proud of his achievement.
Amping and Abtahi ,together with three other survivors who surfaced subsequently were special guests at the First Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree held at Mt. Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna in 1973.
There are other accounts that mention the formation of other troops elsewhere,including the Corregidor where Lt. Kiser was assigned later, but there are no record or details of these. One exception is the story about a troop that was formed in Boac, Marinduque by 16-year old Celso Mirafuente in 1922 on the basis of a BSA handbook and clippings of Boys Life magazine that came into his possession. There is no question that the troop existed. In fact, according to Mt. Aluit, the BSP made this patent when it presented an award to Mirafuente in 1954 as a pioneer Scouter in the province of Marinduque.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
BSP: A Brief History
Scouting in thePhilippines is among the oldest in the world, with an all-Filipino Boy Scout troop organized in Mindanao as early as 1914. This is early if one recognizes that Scouting started in England, with Lord Baden-Powell behind it, in 1908 and was introduced in the United States only in 1910.
The first Boy Scout troop in the Philippines was composed entirely of Filipino Muslims boys. The troop was organized by Lt. Sherman L. Kiser of the Philippine Scouts, U.S. Army, at an army barracks in Zamboanga. It was named the Lorillard Spencer Troop, in honor of the son of Mrs. Caroline Spencer, whose idea and support made the formation of the troop possible. On January 1923, the Boy Scouts of America, Philippine Council was formally organized through the initiative of the Manila Rotary Club. The program of the Boy Scouts of America was utilized in thePhilippines.
Realizing that Scouting had come to stay in the Philippines, Assemblyman Tomas Confesor of Iloilosponsored the bill in the National Assembly incorporating the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, with Col. J.E.H. Stevenot, Judge Manuel Camus, Gen Vicente Lim, Arsenio N. Luz, Carlos P. Romulo, Jorge B. Vargas and Gabriel Daza as incorporators and Charter members. This was signed into Law as Commonwealth Act No. 111 on October 31, 1936 by President Manuel L. Quezon.
Operations of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines was temporarily disrupted during the Japanese occupation (1942-1945) and resumed on February 24, 1945 when the National Council of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines was established.
On October 1, 1946, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was recognized as a member of the World Scout Movement by the World Scout Conference as an independent national scout association.
In 1959, in recognition of its leadership in Scouting in Asia, the 10thWorld Jamboree was held in Mt. Makiling, Laguna. It was the first time a World Jamboree was held outside of Europe. The date also marked establishment of theNational Scout TrainingCenter in Makiling.
In 1961, the BSP National Executive Board approved and adopted a Revitalized Scouting Program. This officially launched on June 19, 1961, the first successful attempt at Filipinization of the Scout Program.
In 1972, the Boy Scout of the Philippinesmembership surpassed the million mark, ranking it as the largest Scout Organization in Asia and largest in the World.
At present the Boy Scouts of the Philippineswith its membership of 2.5 million Scouts ranks second in the Asia-Pacific Region, and is thord to the Boy Scouts of America in World membership is 28 million with 75% of the membership coming from the Asia-Pacific Region.
To effect changes in its organization charter, Presidential Decree 460 was issued by them President Ferdinand E. Marcos on May 17, 1974, amending certain provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 111 and mandating a restructuring of the Boy Scout of the Philippines.
As part of the continuing effort to make Scouting relevant to the needs of the Filipino youth and nation, the BSP National executive Board approved a Scheme for Program Formation and a Revised Commissioner Setup on May 28, 1986.
The program of the Boy Scouts of thePhilippines with its four sections would follow the New Directions Program (KAB Scouting) for 1975.
Revitalized Boy Scouting Program (Young Scout) for 1961, and the Service Scouting Section (Senior Scout) of 1975. This became effective until December, 1991, following the finalization of the New Horizons Program by mid-year of 1991. The Rover Scouting Program has also been readapted with certain modifications following the revitalized Rover Scouting program on April 23, 1962. A fifth Scout Section, KID Scouting was formally approved by the National Executive Board on February 26, 1990.
The rest is more colorful history.