DAVAO CITY – Some 25,000 local, national and foreign Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are expected to participate in the 6th ASEAN Jamboree slated from November 27 to December 2 in Tagum City.
Expected to join are Boy Scout delegations from 10 member-countries of the ASEAN. Other delegations from non-ASEAN countries like India, South Korea and Eurasian countries are also expected to attend, according to Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon.
Rellon, who is a member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines national executive board, said the city is ready to accommodate 30,000 scouts, about half of whom come from Mindanao.
The expected number of scouts can be accommodated in camps to be set up inside the sprawling Energy Park, the jamboree venue at Barangay Apokon.
He added that there city’s hotels and private homes in a home-stay scheme can also accommodate officials and dignitaries, both locals and foreigners, joining and gracing the week-long jamboree.
Rellon is also confident that the combined forces of police, military and civilian peacekeeping auxiliaries and force multipliers are capable to give a tight blanket of security to the city and jamboree.
“With or without martial law, Tagum is safe. But martial law is an opportunity when we can tell now that we are more safe,” Rellon said, citing the active security mode, checkpoints and army units surrounding the city.
Rellon sees the hosting of ASEAN jamboree to boost the economy of the city.
Along with BSP national president Wendel Avisado and other national executive board members, he recently participated in the World Scout Leaders Conference held in Azerbaijan last Aug. 13-17 where delegations from 169 countries participated. (Cha Monforte/PNA)
