Chief Girl Scout GMA awards medals to 324 Girl Scouts

A total of 324 senior and cadet Girl Scouts received their Chief Girl Scout medals from the country’s “Chief Girl Scout,” President Arroyo, in a ceremony held at Malacañang Friday.

The GSP’s Chief Girl Scout medal is the highest award given to the country’s Girl Scouts and is built on the concept of developing the total woman, making her well-rounded in all aspects – spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and social.

Under the Chief Girl Scout medal scheme, the country’s senior and cadet Girl Scouts serve their communities in order to develop their leadership capabilities, perseverance and sense of responsibility.

Executive Order 267, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines charter, designates the woman President or the First Lady as the Chief Girl Scout, thus making Mrs. Arroyo the current holder of the title.

Dressed in her specially designed green Girl Scout uniform, the President handed over the medals to the 324 recipients, the bulk of which came from Luzon.

Northern Luzon topped the number of this year’s awardees with 104; followed by Southern Luzon, 97; Central Luzon, 45; Visayas, 31; Eastern Mindanao, 30; and Western Mindanao, 17 awardees.

The President donated P1 million that will go to the GSP badge bank so badges could be distributed for free to GSP members.

“Your year-long community development project… has certainly benefited your barangay and generated awareness of what a Girl Scout can do to improve the quality of life in your community,” the President said in her message.

Mrs. Arroyo pointed out that the GSP program, which started in 1976, is aligned with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which uphold the dignity of women, among others.

“Thank you for being the government’s partner in building a strong and united Philippine Republic,” the President added.

After the ceremony at Malacañang, the President decided to keep her green dress when she attended the 7th anniversary of the BizNews Asia magazine at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City. – Marvin Sy