CABARROGUIS, Quirino—Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP)  National President and Agusan del Norte 2nd District Representative, Hon. Dale B. Corvera, filed House Bill 3053 in the 19th Congress, which seeks to include the Scouting program into the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) on Wednesday, August 3.

In his explanatory note, Corvera mentioned that the BSP and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) have remained dependent on the Department of Education (DepEd) and other government institutions in implementing its program and activities for the youth.

Corvera also cited Section 13, Article II of the 1987 Constitution stating that the State shall inculcate youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage youth’s involvement in public and civic affairs which he said is being implemented by the two National Scouting Organizations.

“These two National Scouting Organizations provide a program committed to develop[ing] morally straight, disciplined, concerned, self-reliant citizens of this country. Scouting does not only create a sense of nationalism among the youth but it also prepares them to help in times of need during emergencies and calamities and in working towards peace,” Corvera said.

Corvera also mentioned the lack of volunteer Scout leaders in some schools as the main reason for filing the bill in Congress. 

“What is lamentable is the fact that while Scouting is school-based, Scouting is present only in schools if there are teachers who would volunteer to teach Scouting to their learners. Without volunteer Scout teachers in a specific school, there is no Scouting program being offered in a specific school,” he added.

The bill aims to provide opportunities for teachers to undertake Scouting-related tasks if it will be integrated into the curriculum as it will become a regular subject like Mathematics and English—to be taught to the students.

Free trainings and career development

The BSP offers trainings to school teachers, heads, and even the education department’s personnel from the introduction to Scouting, the Basic Training Course, and higher levels of training like the Advanced Training Course or the Woodbadge Course. A Scout Leader may also opt to advance their career in Scouting by taking the Course for Managers of Learning and Course for Managers of Training which will give them international recognition in the Scouting community.

However, these trainings are not always free and these volunteer teachers have to cover the costs ranging from a few hundred to thousands of pesos. This prevents the teachers from gaining new knowledge and relevant skills or advancing their careers.

The proposed bill aims to remove this barrier for at least one teacher by allocating the budget from the school funds. 

Section 4 of HB 3053 states that teachers designated by the respective school shall undergo continuous Scouting training at no cost to the teacher.

Equivalency Exemption

According to the then Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (now DepEd) Department Order 106 series of 1998, fourth-year high school Scouts with at least an Outdoorsman Rank or who have participated in international Scouting events may be exempted from the Citizen Army Training (CAT).

The exemption also applies to Rovers and Roverettes if they intend to become members or managers of Rover Circles or if they have been active members of the BSP.

In light of the controversies with the mandatory implementation of the Reserve Officer Training Corps for Senior High School levels, the bill proposed an equivalency exemption for some Scouts.

Section 5 of the bill states that all Scouts who have achieved the Eagle Scout rank—the highest attainable rank in the Senior Scouting program of the BSP—shall be exempted from the Basic ROTC program or other similar programs which may be created and implemented in the future.

Chances in the Congress

In an interview with the BSP National President, he said that there is a chance that House Bill 3053 will be enacted into law if other representatives will listen to the opinion of the public.

“I think if our colleagues in Congress can read or hear positive comments in [the] media—the traditional media as well as in social media—about this bill, then it has a good chance of becoming a law,” Corvera said.

He also mentioned that even though Scouting exists in schools, it is only for students who are interested to join.

“This bill suggests to make Scouting a regular subject in the curriculum para everybody in elementary and junior high school can avail of the benefits of Scouting and our country is also assured of having good citizens in the future who are disciplined, self-reliant, and great contributors in nation-building,” he added.

The proposed bill gained positive reactions from the Scouting community when it was announced on Wednesday evening. 

“This is for Scouting, our youth, and our country,” Corvera said.

Corvera seeks immediate approval of the bill.