BOTOLAN, Zambales — Scouts from Zambales had the first opportunity to experience camping at the 62-hectare site of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree (APRSJ) to be held here in December.

More than 2,000 scouts and scouting leaders from the 13 towns in Zambales joined the 38th Boy Scouts of the Philippines-Ramon Magsaysay Zambales Council (BSP-RMZC) Provincial Scout Jamboree at Camp Pagsusubok in Brgy. San Juan here.

The camp served as a preparatory event for the upcoming 33rd APRSJ on December 14-21.

Botolan Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane formally opened the four-day Zambales jamboree on November 6, while BSP President Emilio B. Aquino formally launched Camp Pagsusubok to test camp readiness for some 25,000 scouts from 17 countries who are expected to join the Asia-Pacific event.

Among those present in the opening rites were former Vice-President Jejomar Binay, BSP Regional Chairperson Emmanuel Antonio M. Umali, Deputy Camp Chief/OIC-SDS William Roderick R. Fallorin, BSP-RMZC Chairman Alcade D. Fallorin, and other BSP officials.

Zambales Board Member Jun Rundstedt Ebdane, who represented Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. in the opening ceremony, encouraged Zambales scouts to take into heart the lessons from scouting.

“To be a Scout is to be ready—handa sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa. Ready to face challenges, to serve others, and to protect what truly matters: our people, our environment, and of course, our future,” Ebdane said.

“Ang paglahok ninyo sa jamboree na ito ay higit pa sa camping o laro; it is a journey—a chance to grow, to discover who you are, and to learn how to lead with purpose and heart,” he added.

The BSP said the first three days of the jamboree turned the campsite into a “massive scouting zone” where scouts faced fun and challenges that tested their grit and spirit.

However, the jamboree had to be cut short in face of Super Typhoon Uwan. Warning of the storm’s wide circulation (around 700 kilometers or 430 miles), PAGASA called on residents to begin preparations as early as November 7, three days before its predicted landfall.

Botolan town Mayor Jun Omar Ebdane, thereby, directed the scout organizers to coordinate with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) to ensure the safe demobilization and return of participants on November 7, a day earlier than the scheduled closing ceremony. – Taktikom News & Features