BOTOLAN, Zambales — Fireworks lit the sky, contingent flags fluttered in the wind, while close to 24,000 delegates danced to a high-energy celebratory song during the grand opening here of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scouts Jamboree (APRSJ) here at Camp Zambales on Monday, Dec. 15.
Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr., who is the designated Camp Chief, formally opened the weeklong scouting event with a message extolling the values of scouting.
“Today’s jamboree is more than a gathering, it’s a training ground for future leaders—leaders who will protect the environment, strengthen communities, promote peace, and face challenges with courage and compassion,” Ebdane said.
“As scouts across the Asia-Pacific region come together, you remind us that unity and cooperation can overcome differences,” Ebdane said. “Hosting this jamboree reflects our commitment to youth development and international cooperation.”
Honor and Responsibility
Boy Scouts of the Philippines National President Emilio B. Aquino underscored the pride gained by the country for hosting the international event.
“This Jamboree stands as living proof that when young people come together with shared values, they become agents of peace, resilience, and positive change,” Aquino said.
“For the Philippines, hosting the 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree is both an honor and a responsibility. It reflects our enduring belief in the transformative power of Scouting and our commitment to contribute meaningfully to the Asia-Pacific Region and the global Scout Movement,” he added.
The jamboree, which takes place from December 14 to 21, drew participants a total of 23,867 participants, including 441 international scouts, from 20 countries across the region.
The delegations came from Kuwait, Bangladesh, United States, Korea, Taiwan, Maldives, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Timor Leste.
Among them are two “royalties” of the scouting movement—David Robert Baden-Powell, who is the 5th Baron Baden-Powell and great-grandson of the Scouting movement’s founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell, and David’s daughter Charlotte Baden-Powell.
Learning Experience
Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee Chairperson Dato’ Dr. Mohd Zin Bin Bidin said that with close to 24,000 participants, the Botolan jamboree “is the biggest open-air classroom in the world.”
“This reflects the heart of our region,” the Malaysian Scout leader said. “With 33 member-countries and about 37 million scouts, the Asia-Pacific is the most diverse scouting region in the world—and the most powerful,” Bidin toasted during the Camp Chief’s Hour after the opening rites.
The high turnout is largely attributed to the well-appointed 62-hectare site at Barangay San Juan here. BSP Chief Aquino said at the unveiling of the APRSJ marker on Sunday that the Botolan campsite is “world-class,” adding it is the “pride of the Philippines” to be hosting the international jamboree.
Developed by the Zambales provincial government in just 13 weeks, the campsite boasts of a sprawling area for six sub-camps and 65 tent clusters, a 56,859-sqm activity center, a souvenir shop, a religious tent, a market place, as well as shower and toilet facilities spread out across the site. Dr. Bidin said the campsite was developed at a cost of around US$1 million.
Ebdane said medical teams, as well as contingents from the local police and the Philippine Army are also in position at the encampment to ensure the safety and security of jamboree participants.
The 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scouts Jamboree is the fourth of its kind to be held in the country since 1973 and the first to be hosted in Zambales. Previous APRSJ events were all held at the National Scout Reservation on Mt. Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna. – Taktikom News & Features
