ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The Zamboanga Economic and Freeport Zone Authority (ZamboEcozone) is on its final stage of preparing the main site for the Centennial Jamboree of the Boys Scout of the Philippines (BSP) on Saturday.
The ZamboEcozone, 15,000 hectares in range, will play host to the country’s 100th year of scouting in the Philippines since its first formation in Zamboanga City, officials said.
Engineer Reynaldo Misanes, 2nd vice chair for BSP Zamboanga Council, said the campsites in the freeport zone were already established to welcome the scouts coming from all over Mindanao.
He said while Luzon and Visayas will have their respective sites, Zamboanga City site will be considered as the main venue considering the scout formation was established here by an American sailor in Nov. 15, 1914. About 26 young Muslim boys were then dubbed as the Lorilard Spencer Troops of Zamboanga.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, BSP President, will be the main guest when the centennial jamboree formally opens on Saturday.
Camp structures have been set up from the arcs of respective local scout districts to the headquarters, tents and watch towers or observatory posts, all made of bamboos. Some have already prepared makeshift beds and tables made of bamboos in some tents.
The military units, including Philippine Air Force and Army, have also set up their tents inside the camp.
“We want it to be back to basic so our scouts will appreciate the survival with the environment using the indigenous materials,”according to Misanes, who is also construction and development division chief of the ZamboEcozone.
The BSP council expects close to 10,000 scout contingents after the target number of 5,000 have swelled to 6,200 scouts members from Visayas and Luzon are expected to converge in this city.
Misanes said aside from the contingents from Luzon and Visayas they were also expecting foreign scout delegations.
“There are foreign delegates expected to come" said Misanes. He did not elaborate what nationalities or countries the foreign delegates are coming from.
Misanes said they have also reserved additional area for campsite if the number of delegates exceed.
Christopher Arnuco, ZamboEcozone chair, has invited the United States troops from the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), citing that their participation was relevant since it was an American soldier who formed the first scout formation in the Philippines particularly in this city.
The JSOTF-P will be displaying their communication gadgets and other survival equipment for the scouts to view.
The military unit under Task Group Zamboanga will deploy also their delegates to train the boys scouts on survival training.
Security planning and preparation which ran for a month have already started to be laid on from the highway leading to the main site.
“Mahirap na kung mawalan tayo kahit isang bata,” said Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, Western Mindanao Command chief.
Layers of route security leading to the site and around it have been established, City Police Director Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro said.