Jamboree Venue: Mt. Makiling
Written by admin on August 10th, 2008
MT. MAKILING
A place of fabled land and stunning landscape;
Where the trees are taller and the grass is greener.
NATURE CALLS
Welcome to the fabled land of stunning landscaped. Sixty-five kilometers southeast of Manila lies the only tropical rainforest close to the capital city. It is located in the Municipality of Los Baños, a resort town famous for its hot springs and local delicacies. Thousands of local and foreign tourists flock to this place annually to find solace from the sweltering heat and the hustle and bustle of the city life. It can be reached through local transportation like buses and jeepneys.
At the heart of Mt. Makiling is the Philippine Scouting Center for Asia Pacific Region, a reservation untouched by civilization’s greed for rapid development.
The camp, which sits on the slope a thousand meters above sea level, offers a commanding view of Laguna de Bay, Manila and some nearby towns in Laguna, and the provinces of Cavite and Batangas, equally popular for lush forests and sandy beaches.
Located near the camp are various scientific and educational establishments like the University of the Philippines – Los Baños (UPLB), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) where the miracle rice was grown and developed, the Philippine Council for Agriculture Resources and Development (PCARD), the National Arts Center that nurtures talented young students in the visual and performing arts, the Pook ni Mariang Makiling, a resort adjacent to the camp’s swimming pool, and the historic site where General Yamashita of the Japanese Imperial Army was executed and believed to have buried a treasure.
Mt. Makiling was the venue of the 10th World Scout Jamboree in 1959. To celebrate 50 years of Scouting in the Philippines, the BSP held its Golden Jubilee Jamboree in 1973 co-incident with the first Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree in Mt. Makiling. It was also the host of the 12th Asia-Pacific and BSP National Jamboree in 1991. In 1994, the camp hosted the first ASEAN Jamboree, a gathering of Scouts and Scouters from member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations.
Fifty years after the hosting of the 10th World Jamboree, Mt. Makiling will once again open its arms to host the 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree.
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Where is the Philippines?
Where is Mt. Makiling?
