The Philippine flag flew high with other nations’ colors in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, South Korea as a group of Quezon City scouters represented the country in the Namdo International Youth Camporee from Aug. 3 to 8.
The Quezon City Boy Scouts Council group, composed of nine scouts and seven adults, left for South Korea last July 31.
Leading the group were City Councilors Eric Medina and Jorge Banal, who serve as joint contingent chiefs. Councilor Hero Bautista and Emmanuel Castor acted as co-chairpersons of the international committee program.
QC Council-BSP board members engineer Reynaldo Montano and Esperanza Fe Castor-Pangan, Deputy Council Commissioner Esther Hernandez, and Field Scout Executives Bobby Nengasca (District-V) and Marjorie Domingo (Private Schools) completed the advisers’ group.
The Quezon City government provided financial support to the participants to the Camporee.
The scouts’ group was composed of Grade 7 students from Ateneo de Manila University High School Department and from Ernesto Rondon High School.
They are Amadeus Gabriel Venod, Joseph Enrico Viray, JP Christian Gamolo, Jesus Venancio Viray, Ethan Michael Aguirre, and Ross Steven Uy.
Uy, an eagle scout from Rondon High, said joining his first International Camporee is an exciting opportunity to be part of the world brotherhood.
“To be a scout and to serve others are my dream and passion,” Uy shared.
According to Dr. Antonio Merino, Quezon City Council Scout Executive, it is an honor for the young scouts, the QC Council and the QC government to represent the Philippines to the Camporee while noting that the QC-BSP Council hopes to add more partner councils in the future.
“Our engagement with the Korea Scouts of Jeonnam Council, now on our second year, is an expansion of the QC-BSP’s initial Scout Exchange Program which started with Chiba, Japan in the 1979,” Merino explained.
The QCC-BSP celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Chiba exchange program in 2020. Twenty Chiba exchange alumni will join select Quezon City unit leaders and scouts in the activity.
The group also has their eyes set for more international exposures in 2020 — Chiangmai, Thailand in May and Singapore later.
