With the theme "Scouting Toward Peace and Prosperity," the event hopes to transform the image of Mindanao from a war-torn island to a prime tourist destination.
Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat, in a statement, lauded the event as an "excellent opportunity for us to turn around the image of our city after the negative impact it has suffered from the current Mindanao situation."
Boy Scouts from the member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will attend the jamboree to be held at the Zamboanga freeport in San Ramon district.
The Jamboree will also be attended by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines led by its national president and concurrent Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Jejomar Binay and Rep. Celso Lobregat.
Binay echoed Rep. Lobregat’s statement that the jamboree provides the Boy Scouting community an opportunity to participate in the spread of peace and brotherhood among men. — Marvin Sy