158. HONORING THE SCOUTS IN Q.C.

 

HONORING THE SCOUTS IN Q.C.
Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano, LPT
28 July 2022

For the past weeks of June and July this year, I regularly traversed the streets of Barangay Laging Handa in Quezon City whenever I proceed to the Capitol Medical Center located at the corner of Scout Magbanua and Quezon Avenue where my daughter was confined and later attended her physical therapy sessions. Conspicuous are the street names in the area which are all prefixed with the word “Scout”. During my childhood years, my family and I regularly visited an uncle, a maternal first-degree cousin of my mom at Scout Fuentebella Extension corner Scout Limbaga Extension passing Scout Rallos Extension from the main road in Barangay Kamuning. Curious as ever, I started to research on the numerous names bearing the word “Scout” and stumbled on a number of articles in the net particularly at lakansining.wordpress.com.

Fifty-nine years ago, today, a group of Filipino boy scouts died in a plane crash on their way to represent the country in the 11th World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece. On July 28, 1963 at 0150 hours, the entire delegation perished together with 31 passengers and 8 crew members of United Arab Airlines Flight 869 when the A. de Havilland DH.106 Comet jetliner crashed into the Arabian Sea nine nautical miles from Madh Island, Bombay (now Mumbai), India after loss of control in turbulent weather.

The ill-fated delegates were: Air Scout Observer Ramón Valdés ALBANO, (1947-1963 Manila Council), Senior Scout Pathfinder Patricio Dulay BAYORAN, Jr. (1944-1963 Pasay City Council), Air Scout Observer Gabriél Nicolás BORROMEO (1949-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Roberto Corpus CASTOR (1949-1963 Quezon City Council), Senior Scout Pathfinder Henry Cabrera CHUATOCO (1945-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Victór Oteyza DE GUIA, Jr. (1948-1963 Baguio Benguet Council), Life Scout José Antonio Chuidian DELGADO, Jr. (1949-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Felix Palma FUENTEBELLA, Jr. (1949-1963 Camarines Sur Council), First Class Scout Pedro Hermano GANDIA, Jr. (1948-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Antonio Mariano LIMBAGA (1948-1963 Zamboanga City Council), Rover Scout Roberto del Prado LOZANO (1944-1963 Dagupan City Council), Senior Scout Pathfinder Paulo Cabrera MADRINÁN (1943-1963 Pasay City Council), First Class Scout José Fermín Gonzales MAGBANUA (1949-1963 Negros Oriental Council), Star Scout Romeo Rafaél RALLOS (1946-1963 Quezon City Council), Senior Scout Pathfinder Filamér Santos REYES (1942-1963 Cavite Council), Star Scout Wilfredo Mendoza SANTIAGO (1949-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Benecio Suarez TOBIAS (1946-1963 Tarlac Council), Eagle Scout Antonio Rios TORILLO (1946-1963 Cavite Council), Star Scout Ascario Ampíl TUASON, Jr. (1947-1963 Manila Council), First Class Scout Rogelio Celis YBARDOLAZA (1946-1963 Quezon City Council). The contingent leaders were: Scoutmaster and Physician Bonifacio Vitan LAZCANO, M.D. (1919-1963), Chaplain Fr. Jose Agcaoili MARTINEZ, S.J. (1921-1963), Assistant Scoutmaster Librado L. S. FERNANDEZ (1919-1963) and Assistant Scoutmaster Florante Lirio OJEDA (1916-1963).

Only the bodies of Scouts Castor, Chuatoco, Delgado, Fernandez and Tuason were recovered and along with the few identified properties of the scouts were flown back to Manila and buried in the Boy Scout Cenotaph of the 11th Jamboree at the Manila North Cemetery. To mark this mass grave, a geometric rendition of the Scout Sign of a right hand with three fingers point up to represent duty to God, others and self; while the thumb and small finger touch to signify brotherhood through citizen training and character building. Etched below the scout sign is “On Our Honor, We did Our Best.”

In 1964, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) commissioned Antonio G. Dumlao to paint a portrait of the BSP 11th Jamboree contingent which resulted a near photo-realistic portrait of the BSP troupe with the logo of the 11th Jamboree and the flags of the 24 nations that participated in the jamboree. The painting can still be seen at the BSP Headquarters in Ermita, Manila.

On April 14, 1964, the 8th Quezon City Council passed Resolution No. 6692 (introduced by Councilors Rafael Mison, Jr. and Florentino Lapuz) which renamed the streets in the Homesite Project 1 district (South Triangle), after the twenty-four members of the fallen BSP contingent. In 1975, the barangay west of Tomas Morato Avenue was renamed “Laging Handa” after the scout’s motto of “Always Ready.”

The following year, Mayor Norberto S. Amoranto and the Quezon City Council unveiled the Boy Scout Memorial at the center of Sampaloc (now Tomas Morato) and South (now Timog) Avenues, with the life-sized statues of the 24 scouts, sculptured by Florante “Boy” Beltran Caedo on a circular pedestal.

The memorial was organized by the Ala-ala Youth Foundation (now the 11th World Jamboree Memorial Foundation), comprised of the parents of the scouts. In the coming years, the foundation worked with other institutions and established other monuments of the 24 scouts.

The Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila dedicated a memorial to Letran students: Scouts Ramón V. Albano, Henry C. Chuatoco and Wilfredo M. Santiago.

The San Beda College (now a university) in Manila honored the school’s students: Scouts José Antonio C. Delgado, Jr., Felix P. Fuentebella, Jr., Antonio R. Torillo and Ascario A. Tuason, Jr.

The San Sebastián College-Recoletos de Manila has a memorial to their student, Scout Pedro H. Gandia, Jr.

The Eugelio Rodriguez Jr. High School in La Loma, Quezon City had a bust of its alumni, Scout Roberto C. Castór.

In the Municipality of Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, the foundation established the Scout Ramón V. Albano Park in front of the famous Santa Monica Church. From 1978-1991, the Scout Ramon V. Albano Memorial College in Tondo, Manila existed until it was absorbed by the Santa Rita Hospital College of Nursing and School of Midwifery. However, the building on Earnshaw Street was named RVA Hall to retain the history of the school and the memory of the young scout.

In the Province of Laguna, three towns honored three scouts. In 1967, the Balian Barrio School in the Municipality of Pangil was renamed Victor Oteyza De Guia Jr. Memorial Elementary School with a monument erected in front of the school to immortalize the scout while in his hometown of Baguio City, the Scout De Guia Memorial Camp Fire Circle was constructed by the Ala-ala Foundation in Camp John Hay.

In 2006, a bust of Scout Rogelio C. Ybardolaza was installed within the Pakil, Laguna Municipal Hall Plaza while in the Municipality of Paete, Laguna, a bust of Scout Paulo C. Madriñan was erected to commemorate his paternal roots from the town. Paulo’s great-grandfather was Mariano Baldemor Madriñan (1858-1939) who gained international acclaim with his Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother), carved exquisitely from native wood, which was exhibited during the 1883 Amsterdam Universal Exposition.

In the Visayas, particularly in the Municipality of Manapla, Negros Occidental, the Scout Patricio Dulay Bayoran, Jr. Memorial was built at the intersection of the Western Nautical Highway and Scout Bayoran Road while in 2001, in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, a statue of José Fermín G. Magbanua was erected in front of the Boy Scout Headquarters near the provincial capitol grounds.

In Mindanao, the Scout Antonio Mariano Limbaga Memorial was constructed within the Pasonanca Park in Zamboanga City.

Most of the street names in Barangays Laging Handa, Paligsahan, Obrero, Roxas and Sacred Heart in Quezon City were christened with the surnames of the 20 Scouts and 4 Scouters who were a part of the worse scouting tragedy to date which sent shock waves throughout the world. To quote: “Each scouts worked hard for years in building their skills and community work, as recognized by the scouting badges they earn. These badges were the criteria and symbolism that the Philippines was sending the very best of their male youth to represent the country, and interact with the best of other nations in global community building. And for the small towns where some of these scouts were born, this was a chance for their municipality to be represented in the world stage. And thus, to commemorate the 11th Jamboree BSP contingent is not just to memorialize the tragedy that had befallen them, but to honor the sacrifices they have done to become representatives of our country, which led to the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives.”

As I head for home, after the regular treatment session of my daughter at the private hospital in Scout Magbanua, my phone beeped and in the group chat in my messenger, I was informed by my siblings that we would be having a luncheon post celebration of our mom’s 74th birthday on the 30th of this month at an old house turned cozy restaurant located at Scout Delgado Street where modern Filipino and international cuisine are served. I could not help but smile at the name of the resto and its address.