Former VP Binay receives Bronze Wolf Award

Former Vice President (VP) Jejomar “Jojo” Binay was awarded yesterday the Bronze Wolf Award, the highest honor given to a volunteer scout leader worldwide.

The prestigious award was given to Binay for his exemplary leadership and service at all levels of scouting was presented.

The Bronze Wolf Award is the only distinction presented by the World Scout Committee, the executive body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM).

Binay received the award during a ceremony at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

“I am deeply grateful to the World Scout Committee for considering me to be worthy of the Bronze Wolf Award. It is such a great honor, and I would like to humbly share it with my fellow Filipino scouts all over the world who embody the principles of Scouting in their own pursuits,” Binay said.

Meanwhile, Binay also urged his fellow scouts who are in leadership positions to strive to fulfill the mission of the scout movement, which is “to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.”

“I hope that those among us who are leaders in their own right are making a conscious and sustained effort to be catalysts of holistic growth among the youth, taking every opportunity to bring out the best in them and help them achieve their full potential,” he said.

Quality education

Binay is a known advocate of youth empowerment through quality education. As mayor of Makati for over two decades prior to his election as vice president in 2010, he established a strong public education system that became the benchmark for quality public education in the country.

His administration saw the construction of modern school buildings and facilities comparable to private schools. Today, students in the city’s public schools continue to enjoy free school supplies, including uniforms.

From cub scout

Binay first joined the scout movement more than 30 years ago as a cub scout. He earned his First Class award but left the Movement as a Senior Scout to pursue his law profession.

He later returned to Scouting as a volunteer adult Scout Leader who would go on to become president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and chairman of the Asia Pacific Region.

Asia Pacific scout committee

Binay is the only scout to have served on the Asia Pacific Regional Scout Committee for 12 years (19982004, 2007-2012), and the only Regional Committee member to have served as Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Region for two three-year terms (2007-2010, 2010-2012).

As regional chairman, Binay set a high standard of leadership in National Scout Organizations and strengthened camaraderie among national and regional leaders.

As such, the former vice president welcomed the Cambodia Scouts Association to the Movement while setting the groundwork for other prospective member countries like Timor-Leste, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

As part of the transition team, he was especially instrumental in the successful transfer of the World Scout Bureau Global Office from Geneva, Switzerland to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mayor

While he was mayor, Binay was also ranked fourth among the Top Ten World Mayors in 2006.

Makati also gained international prominence when its public health program that was a brainchild of Binay, the Yellow Card, was named a “Best Practice” by the Dubai International Award in 2002.