by Marienne Galima
Last July 28, Grade School and High School Scouts commemorated the 52nd Anniversary of the death of the 24 scouts of the Philippine contingent to the 11th World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece. The commemoration was held in front of the statue of Scout Pedro Gandia, a Sebastinian Scout who died in the plane crash.
The event started with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist presided by Rev. Fr. Gideon Antolin U. Lagrimas, OAR.
Dr. Juliet M. Baltazar, High School Principal, gave the opening remarks. She was very thankful to all scouts who participated in the Scouts Memorial Day.
Mr. Rodel Cunanan Sampang, Principal of Trinidad Tecson Elementary School, was invited to be the guest speaker of the said event. He summarized the history of scouting. Mr. Sampang also talked about the reason for celebrating at San Sebastian College. He shared that it is because of Scout Pedro Hermano Gandia, a Sebastinian scout who died in the plane crash in Bombay, India on July 28, 1963 while the Philippine contingent was on the way to attend the 11th World Jamboree in Marathon, Greece.
The late president Corazon Aquino declared July 28 as Scouts Memorial Day, to remember and to honor those scouts who perished. As Mr. Sampang ended his speech, he left a question to the scouts, Bakit ka sumali sa Scouting? Mrs. Olga Paguia, Grade School Principal, together with Dr. Juliet Baltazar awarded a Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Sampang.
Scouts from various schools also participated in the said event.
