FINAL SPEECH

To our motherly PIC, to the brilliant P3, to the cooperative, to the dynamic, to the supportive, equally
talented

GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF SCOUTING.

Allow me to commence my talk by defining Scouting as a way of life. That is an

old cliché; that definition is so overused that it has almost lost its meaning.

You see, Scouting is not a form of sports, but it incorporates all sports. Scouting
is not a philosophy; it is not given to celebration for the sake of celebration. Scouting is
not a field of scientific research. Our boys are not guinea pigs for us to experiment with.
But we grow up with them; playing, running, planting trees, singing, living with them in
the canopy of the big night stars.

Moreover, scouting plays an important role in every civilized community today.

Besides its efficacy as a program for character building, it is an effective antidote to
juvenile delinquency. At a time like today when the names of teenage gangs are crudely
painted on immaculate walls of buildings, gardens, and other structures and broken
window and counter panes, mutely attesting to the recurrence of juvenile crimes, such a
program as Scouting assumes greater significance. It is an accepted fact that in
communities where Scouting is a vital force in the lives of local boys and girls there is no
delinquency among young people. By this token, it becomes imperative for communities
with serious teenage problems to incorporate Scouting in their program for combating
juvenile crimes. And we who are actually in the movement and realize how much
Scouting can do for boys, must exert every effort to bring Scouting into the lives of
problem boys. Besides doing our bit to solve a social problem, we shall be doing our
traditional Good Turn by sharing the benefits we derive from Scouting with others not so
providentially fortunate.

Let us also push the frontiers of the movement beyond its present confines. Let us
go to the barrios to make our program available to boys and girls in the rural and other
less-fortunate areas. There is need for a program like ours to enrich the lonely and drab
lives of the boys and girls in these places. In this way, our farm boys and girls will
develop greater appreciation for farm life and its opportunities for carrying out our
program in a natural setting—the wide, open spaces. The extension of Scouting to these
places will perhaps help check the unhealthy tendency of most farm boys to desert their
homes and go to cities and other population centers when they grow up. For such a
thing to come to pass will mean greater economic stability and prosperity for our
country and people. And that will be one lasting contribution that we can leave for the
coming generations of Filipinos.

Let us pause and imagine that we have ended our journey on earth and have come
to our final camping ground. What if the Greatest Scoutmaster asked each one of us,
“My child, how did you live your life on earth?”

I could only imagine how diverse our answers would be. But I know that the
Greatest Scoutmaster would be happy to hear some answer: “I lived the life of a Scouter,
fulfilling my duty to God by serving my country and fellowmen.”

Our greatest challenge as Scouter is to train and develop as many young people
to keep Scouting their way of life, making sure that they become good citizens and
responsible leaders in the future – however difficult, however demanding.
 And on days when we least expect it, we will also receive emails from the many
boys and girls whose lives we have touched thanking us and telling us that they won in
life because of us. That they are bringing home the gold medal we have lost while we
waited for them to grow. This in itself is our greatest reward.

These boys who grew up with you will man this world tomorrow. Today we sow the
seed of goodness, and tomorrow we will reap the fruit of greatness. The world
shall be pleased. We build tomorrow today.

So my friends, as I close, I encourage each one of us to pat ourselves on the back

and tell ourselves – good job. We have done our best for our young children.

Thank you. Long live the scouting movement!

Everybody say; Mabuhay ang Scouting! Mabuhay ang SMCS! Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Mabuhay!