Negros Occidental—With both the online and onsite presence of more than 500 Kabataang Alay sa Bayan (KAB) Scouts, Boy Scouts, Senior Scouts, Rover Scouts, and Adult leaders, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines from the Western Visayas Region launched their first Regional Cyber Jamboree last March 7, 2022–both online and face to face–with the Iloilo Confessor Council as the base of operations for live streaming and broadcasting stationed at Pavia National High School

The Jamboree was composed of different subcamps depicting the famous festivals that correspond to the councils in the region namely Ati-Atihan (Aklan), Binirayan (Antique), Masskara (Bacolod), Halaran (Capiz), Manggahan (Guimaras), Dinagyang (Iloilo Confessor), and Panaad (Negros Occidental). Each Subcamp Started off the grand ceremonies by showcasing their festival dances via video presentation to be followed by the ceremony proper.

Notable Events from the opening ceremonies included the remarks from different key persons namely: 

• Michael A. Indoma  – Regional Scout Director,
• Hon. Matt P. Palabrica – Council Chairman and Camp Director,
• Dr. Ramir B. Uytico, CESO IV – Regional Scout Commissioner,
• Hon. Laurence Anthony G. Gorriceta- Chairman-Pavia City Scouting Committee 

The different remarks focused on the resilience support to the Scouting Movement Despite the Challenges brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. One notable remark was from Hon. Dale B. Corvera the National BSP President and the guest of honor as he emphasized the importance of modern technology in providing the space to hold scouting activities virtually.

“Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary solutions… We may not be able to feel personal, the heat of the fire at the campfire in this jamboree, or the touch of our fellow scouts during obstacle courses, but one thing that is important is that we can still reach out to our fellow scouts in different councils of this region and establish friendships with them through our computers and cellphones,” Corvera said. 

The Activities then rolled after the grand opening ceremonies featuring different modules that tackled scouting skills and programs of the Boyscouts of the Philippines, before grand opening ceremonies the Tuklas Talino Quizbee Competition was held for Boy and Senior scouts with Bacolod and Negros Occidental Councils bagging 1st Place Respectively.

The said  jamboree is a week-long scouting event from March 7-13 highlighting  the theme, “Sustaining Growth” with a focus on “Building Scouting Positivity Amidst Pandemic!”