Siblings stay true to scouting
A tragedy that happened 52 years ago failed to stop the spirit of scouting from inspiring Emmanuel Castor, 65, and his younger sister Fe Castor-Pangan, 63, to be active in the scout movement.
After their elder brother, Roberto, had perished in a plane crash on the way to a scouting event, Emmanuel, said that his late father Tomas urged his children
to keep on with the scout movement. Roberto was killed in a plane crash on July 28, 1963, with 23 other Filipino scouts who were on their way to attend the 11th World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece.
The tragic event moved the nation. In Quezon City, the council adopted a resolution signed in April, 1964 “to honor and perpetuate the memory” of the 24 delegates. The resolution renamed several streets around South Avenue area, now Timog Avenue, to the surnames of the scouts. One street is named “Scout Castor Street.”
Blood type ‘BSP’ A year later, Emmanuel was allowed to participate as a delegate in a Scout Jamboree in Australia.
“Sabi ng tatay, ‘Itaga mo sa bato, sasama’t sasama ka.’ Ang katwiran ng tatay ko, ‘pag oras mo, oras mo, kahit nasaan ka (My father said, ‘Cast in stone, you’ll definitely attend.’ My father believed that when it’s your time to die, it’s your time.),” Emmanuel said.
“My father’s blood type is Type BSP,” he said. His father, Tomas, who died two years ago at age 94, earned the rank of Eagle Scout and served as captain in Barangay Siena, QC for a long time.
Emmanuel and Fe, who have been living in QC since their childhood days, now serve as board members of the QC Boy Scouts Council. Fe is also a board member of the QC Girl Scouts Council, and the Institutional Head of the Scout Roberto Castor Rover Scouts organization.
Scouting as ‘life’ Fe, fourth in a brood of eight and next to Emmanuel, said that her parents became even more passionate in scouting after Roberto’s death.
“I, together with my sisters who were Girl Scouts then, saw [our] mother accompanying us whenever we have activities, and pushing us to pursue scouting then… Scouting is our life; we follow the ideals and laws of scouting,” she said in Tagalog.
Both siblings were scouts since grade school, thanks to strong encouragement from their parents.
We used to join camping activities, walk around [Mount] Makiling, and participate in the re-enactment of the Bataan Death March, with our father. Maybe, we adopted our father’s dedication and commitment to scouting, Emmanuel said.
Remembering the tragedy
Looking back, Emmanuel admitted that he sulked upon learning that his older brother Roberto, and not he, was chosen to participate in the 11th World Jamboree.
Upon knowing that my brother was already undergoing training, I could not do anything. So, when we took him to the airport, it was just nothing for me, as I was still jealous at the fact that he was leaving, and I’d be left behind,” he said.
Born on April 28, 1949, Roberto became a First Class Scout in January, 1963. He sold sweepstakes tickets to raise money to attend the prestigious gathering.
His mother, Virginia, now 97, remembers that at the airport on July 27, 1963, Roberto fed her with a bit of cake amid the very jolly mood. When the scouts were leaving, they were all waving from windows of the airplane, she said.
It took her about 10 years to finally move on from the tragedy. But Virginia is proud that the tragedy did not stop her family’s commitment to the scout movement. All her eight children became either Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.
“Pinangako namin sa aming mga magulang na hindi po namin pababayaan ang scouting (We promised our parents that we would not abandon scouting),” Fe said.
Being an ‘Eagle Scout’
Emmanuel became an Eagle Scout in 1968, while he was studying agriculture at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños.
As an Eagle Scout, you just don’t go after the highest rank. There are more duties that you need to render. When you reach the Eagle Scout rank, one of your objectives is to help your fellow scouts reach higher ranks, he said.
Importance of scouting The Boy Scouts Law, according to the BSP website, states that a scout must be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Fe said her mother often told them that if God has His “Ten Commandments,” scouts have their “Scout Law.”
We see there the importance of scouting in our family, as we have seen our father serve our community, she said.
Emmanuel said that in scouting, not only children belonging to rich families get to join camping activities, local or abroad.
Being a scout is of significant importance. You develop yourself, for as long as you follow the Scout Oath and Law. That’s our only basis, and maybe, scouting really runs in our blood, Emmanuel added. Transforming more Filipino youth Emmanuel and Fe agree that scouting can lead to transformation of more young Filipinos.
When there are more scouts, there will be less delinquents. Those who are unproductive might resort to drugs or other undesirable acts. But when you’re a scout member, your mind will divert into scouting activities, he said.
Scouting, according to Fe, teaches one the importance of trustworthiness, courage, politeness, obedience to authority, and, most importantly, fear of God.
BSP Program Research and Development Officer III Carmelo Francia said that scouting activities complement academic requirements in school.
As we consider the school as ‘indoor,’ and the Boy Scouts as ‘outdoors,’ if you combine both, the effect would be better. School is lecture-type; we are on the practical side,” he said.
Francia noted that boy scouts will even “walk the talk” and be role models when they reach adulthood, citing their counterparts from past generations who now live productively.
I think that when a scout follows at least half of the Scout Law, our nation would be facing fewer problems,” an optimistic Fe said.
(Presidential Proclamation No. 1326, signed by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos on October 1, 1974, declared every October as the “National Scouting Month.” BSP is currently holding the 16th National Scout Jamboree, which will close on October 30 in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.)