Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf: “Make scouting a family affair”
It is in scouting where family members could best invest their bonding time, according to King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden who arrived in this city yesterday.
King Gustaf, a chief scout and top contributor to the World Scout Foundation and Messenger of Peace, told reporters, during a conference at the DZR Airport VIP Lounge upon his arrival, about his love for scouting that started during his childhood days, as his parents were also active scouts.
“Scouting is my family’s affair,” and the main reason for his passion and commitment to help the organization, said the visiting king. “We want to help young girls and boys develop their skills especially during disasters.”
King Gustaf visited this city to inspect personally and partially assess the assistance he had extended for the construction of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Scouting Training Center, as well as livelihood of parents of Boy Scouts who were affected by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf_ “Make scouting a family affair” _ Region, The Freeman Sections, The Freeman _ philstar.com
“I’m glad to be back to Tacloban after nearly two years. I’m happy to see the tremendous changes,” the King told reporters in a short press briefing at the airport.
During his first visit in January 2014, the King has pledged to donate funds for post-Yolanda recovery in Leyte province, including the rehabilitation of the BSP Leyte building in this city that was devastated by the 2013 catastrophe. The cost of reconstruction is P7 million.
“The building is intended not only to train scouts to become good citizens, but to prepare them for future disaster,” the King added.
He checked the ongoing rehabilitation of the BSP building, which is up for completion in February 2016. During his six-hour visit, the King met some local BSP and government officials led by Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla. He also made a short visit to the shipwreck located in Anibong district that has been converted into a memorial park.
King of Sweden revisits Tacloban
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The king asked that this visit be kept private except for a 30-minute press briefing at the Daniel Z. Romualdez airport on his arrival after 9 a.m. on Saturday morning on a private plane.
He said he wanted to check on the progress of the construction of a two-story Boy Scouts of the Philippines-Leyte Council building. The building will not only be used for boy scout activities but also during times of disaster.
During the briefing, the King stressed the importance of teaching the young the value of protecting the environment. (The) scout movement is one of the world’s oldest environmental movements; we help educate people on climate change, he said. After the briefing, Gustaf unveiled a marker on the new boy scout building which will be completed next year. The King, who is honorary chair of the World Scout Foundation, donated P7 million toward the building construction.
He also met with the parents of the boy scouts who were beneficiaries of a livelihood project he had sponsored. The families were given carabaos and sari-sari stores.
King of Sweden quietly returns to Tacloban to check on projects _ Inquirer Global Nation
