Girl Scouts highlight emergency preparedness

CEBU, Philippines - The Girl Scouts of the Philippines will hold a six-day Golden Jubilee Celebration Encampment highlighting emergency preparedness on May 12.

The encampment is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Marina Yulo-Vargas Regional Program and Training Center (Camp Marina), which is named after “National President of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines from Iloilo City who served the Movement from 1949-1951, and later on as National Treasurer from 1951-1955.”

Emma Castillo, former Regional Director of GSP, said, “One of the major activities in the encampment is the emergency preparedness, and we are focusing on preparing our girls and making them aware on how to answer and react to certain calamities.”

Field Vice President of GSP Central Visayas Venus Flores said the encampment would help transform girls to be more responsible, independent and courageous. She said the Girl Scout training would mold a good leader.

Apart from the emergency preparedness, other challenges to be introduced are spirituality and well-being, environment, family life, economic self-sufficiency, heritage and citizenship, arts, and the world community.

On the other hand, GSP Regional Executive Director Aida Saromines said her office is expecting 600 girl scouts from different councils in the Visayas and over the country.

“We are actually asking policemen to secure the camp site,” she said, adding that she is confident that girls would be safe during the encampment with the help of GSP officials.

Flores said few of the famous girl scouts are Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, Governor Agnes Magpale, Cheche Lazaro, Leah Salonga, Christine Bersola-Babao, and other Royalties like Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

She said these ladies have learned many things from their Girl Scout experience that, in some way, helped in transforming them to become responsive leaders in the society.

There are 96 Girl Scout councils in the country and 2 million girl scouts in the Philippines, 400,000 of which are in the Visayas.  (FREEMAN)