History
Scouting was introduced in the Philippines by the Americans as early as 1910. However, the earliest recorded all-Filipino troop was organized in Zamboanga by a young second lieutenant by the name of Sherman L. Kiser through the sponsorship of Mrs. Caroline S. Spencer, an American widow who was in the Philippines to do works of charity with the people of Sulu in 1914. The troop was composed of 26 Muslim boys and was known as the Lorillard Spencer Troop in honor of Mrs. Spencer's son who was an active Scout in the U.S.A.
In 1923, the Philippine Council BSA was formed through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Manila mainly to launch Scouting as a nationwide movement and provide guidance to the troops which had been independently organized throughout the country. Eventually, through the issuance of Commonwealth Act No. 111 by then President Manuel L. Quezon on October 31, 1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was established as a public corporation tasked to, according to Section 3 of the law: "to promote through organization and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scout craft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts."
From the early troops in 1914, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines prides itself today as one of the largest Scout organizations in the world, in terms of the number of Scouts against the number of young people of Scouting age, with over 2 million members nationwide.
In 1923, the Philippine Council BSA was formed through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Manila mainly to launch Scouting as a nationwide movement and provide guidance to the troops which had been independently organized throughout the country. Eventually, through the issuance of Commonwealth Act No. 111 by then President Manuel L. Quezon on October 31, 1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was established as a public corporation tasked to, according to Section 3 of the law: "to promote through organization and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scout craft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which are in common use by Boy Scouts."
From the early troops in 1914, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines prides itself today as one of the largest Scout organizations in the world, in terms of the number of Scouts against the number of young people of Scouting age, with over 2 million members nationwide.