Police, military units on alert for ASEAN Boy Scouts jamboree

ZAMBOANGA CITY — More than a thousand policemen and soldiers have been deployed to secure the safety of Boy Scouts from member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are attending the six-day First Philippine Border Jamboree at the freeport zone here starting tomorrow.

About 100 police personnel will patrol the 20-kilometer western coast leading to the Zamboanga Economic and Freeport Zone where some 10,000 Boy Scouts from the Philippines and the other ASEAN countries will camp out.

Superintendent Karib Muammil, city police chief, said checkpoints will be set up and police foot patrollers and intelligence operatives from the Philippine National Police, Military Intelligence Group and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, will provide additional security.

"As far as security is concerned, everything is in place," said Muammil, adding that to date, they have neither received nor monitored any threats from lawless elements.

"We must not leave any vacuum of security in areas where the terrorists might take advantage of to disrupt the international affair," he said.

Col. Juvenal Narcise, chief of Task Force Zamboanga, said military troopers will also be fielded in mountains near the jamboree site. The economic zone is bounded by Barangay La Paz, considered a "little Baguio."

Regional tourism director Ricardo San Juan, tourism committee chairman, said at least 40 teachers will serve as guides for the Boy Scouts.

"These young boys and their officials will truly speak of the city as relatively in peace, and far away from the swirling violence in the country," San Juan said.

Primitivo Bucoy, regional director of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, said they have prepared at least five subcamps, aside from the main camp at the 70-hectare economic zone.

Bucoy said they have yet to confirm the exact number of delegates, although more than 10,000 Filipino Boy Scouts and at least 300 from the ASEAN countries have initially signified their intention to join the jamboree.

"The number of delegates is still fluctuating. We will know the exact number of delegates come Sunday," he said.

Delegates from Baguio, Antique and other parts of the Visayas have begun arriving since Thursday. Fifty Boy Scouts from Korea and 32 from Indonesia arrived yesterday.

City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat said the city’s hosting of the ASEAN jamboree, with the theme "Scouting Toward Peace and Prosperity," will show the international community "the true and peaceful image of this southern city."