Boy Scouts of the Philippines Founding Anniversary Date in the current year: October 31, 2024

The Scout Movement was founded by Robert Baden-Powell, a retired British Army officer, author, and educator. He came up with the idea of using some elements of military reconnaissance training in children’s education and tested it at a summer camp for boys in 1907. The next year, Baden-Powell published his seminal work Scouting for Boys, and soon after, the Scout Movement began to establish itself throughout the British Empire and then beyond.

The history of Scouting in the Philippines dates back to American colonial rule. The Scout Movement was first introduced to the Philippines by Elwood Brown, an American sports organizer from the YMCA who founded the first Philippine Scouting troop in Manila in 1910. During the following years, more troops were organized by different people representing different youth organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) were officially chartered on October 31, 1936. The co-founder, first President, and first Chief Scout of the organization was Josephus Stevenot, an American entrepreneur and U.S. Army officer who used to serve as chairman of the Finance Committee of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Philippine Islands Council. Stevenot did all the organizational work to make the founding of the BSP possible.

The BSA Philippine Islands Council handed over its responsibilities and properties to the newly established BSP in October 1937. On January 1, 1938, Philippine President Manuel Quezon officially inaugurated the BSP, and the organization started functioning. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, some of the troops were abolished, while others were absorbed by the Boy Scouts of Japan.

In 1946, shortly after the independence of the Philippines, the BSP was reinstated and admitted to the World Organization of the Scout Movement as a full member. The next year, Philippine scouts participated in the World Scout Jamboree for the first time. In 1959, the Philippines hosted the 10th World Scout Jamboree. Throughout the following decade, the scouting system of the Philippines underwent Filipinization: the BSP got rid of American symbols and replaced them with traditional Philippine motifs.

As we’ve already mentioned, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines celebrate their founding anniversary throughout the entire month of October, known as Philippine Scouting Month. It is filled with events and activities that showcase the national Scouting movement, its achievements and contribution to nation-building. They include official ceremonies, tree planting and other environmental projects and activities, jamborees (large scout gatherings), camps, parades, and more. The celebration culminates and concludes on October 31.