Former Vice President and senatorial aspirant Jejomar Binay extended his greetings on Wednesday (Nov. 3) to all Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as the country celebrates National Scouting Week from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6.
"Ilang dekada na rin ang iginugol ko sa pagiging Boy Scout. Malalim ang paniniwala ko sa scouting dahil na rin nakita ko kung paano nito hinuhubog ang mga kabataan upang maging responsableng tao na handang tumulong sa kanilang mga komunidad (I've spent decades of my life in becoming a Boy Scout. I have strong belief in scouting because I saw how it molds the young into becoming responsible citizens ready to help their community)," Binay said.
"Sa scouting, naniniwala kami na dapat na mabigyan ng mga tamang mekanismo ang kabataan na maging handa sa mga hamon ng buhay. Laging handa, hindi lamang para sa survival. Laging handa upang makapagbigay ng makabuluhang serbisyo sa kapwa at komunidad (In scouting, we believe that the youngsters need to be given the right mechanism for them to be ready for the challenges in life. Ready not just for survival, but also in giving important service to others and the community)," he added.
Binay said that he hopes that all scouts will continue to embody the values they stand for and remain dedicated to the vision and objectives of the organization.
The former vice president first joined the scout movement over 30 years ago as a Cub Scout.
He was then awarded the Bronze Wolf Award for “exemplary leadership and service” for scouting.
The Bronze Wolf is the only award presented by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) World Scout Committee in recognition of an individual’s outstanding service to the Scout Movement.
Binay was the president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines from 1994 to 1996, 1998 to 2000, and again from 2001 to 2016.