MT. APO KIDS HISTORY
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Facts: |
1. MT. APO KIDS is an acronym for Montgomery Training and
Advancement Program of Kidapawan Scouts.
2. Mt. Apo is the Philippines' highest mountain at 10,111 ft.
above sea level where Kidapawan
City is located and where Scouters take their venture.
3. Kidapawan City is from a manobo term "tida" + "pawan" which means
"from a place of
Highland Springs".
4. Montgomery is a family name of the late Eagle Scout Lewis Montgomery of Maryland,
USA, who was in Mindanao, Philippines in the mid-60's to the 80's, manage the
Firestone Rubber Plant and as a Scout volunteer, conducted advancement
activities to interested Scouts from Kidapawan, Magpet and Makilala. SCA
Rex N. Toledo was among the dozens of Rizal Scouts and Scout Citizen
Award produced by Lew. |
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 During the
start of the School Year 2000-2001, SCA Rex N. Toledo, SCA Jovin Salcedo,
RS Joven Cabalum and RS Aries V. Panes- Scouts from
University of Southern
Mindanao- Kidapawan City Campus (USM-KCC), decided to organize an Outfit from the University Laboratory School. The objective was
to train an Outfit for advancement and for attendance to the Cotabato Council
Jamborette. Thirty-five scouts then submitted for training and attended the
Provincial Jamborette whom had won two runner-ups friendly games. But,
the training lasted only until March of 2001 and none re-registered the
following School Year.
Instead, the quartet organized the USM-KCC Mt. Apo Rover Circle. After the
Circle was established and talks with the Principal, Mrs. Emelda J. Victoria and
the School's Institutional Representative, Scouter Juanito B. Mendoza, Jr.
of the Kidapawan City Pilot Elementary School Special Education Center (KCPES-SPED),
the Circle was allowed to conduct a training program to said School. Eleven Boy Scouts
was invested by mid-August and eleven Senior Scouts
from USM-KCC then re-joined the program.
Sca. Rex N. Toledo, Sca. Jovin Salcedo and WB Aries V. Panes, became the
core group of trainors. Volunteer Rover Scouts from USM-KCC came to help.
Rover Peers Marlowe E. Llorito joined in as trainor. George F. Gamolo and Kiril
Van A. Aguilar soon followed.
Resources were badly needed and funds for the training
were quite difficult to raise without the program identity. By October 2001,
after the approval of the family of the late Lewis Montgomery, MT. APO
KIDS became the Official name of the Advancement Program.
In 2005, USM-KCC Mt. Apo Rover Circle under
the leadership of WB Aspirant John Tem D. Gaviola, became officially part
of the USM-KCC Research-Extension and Training Office. MT. APO
KIDS, as an adopted Community Service Training Program of the Circle, became part of USM-KCC.
The following year, the first four MT. APO KIDS Eagle
Scouts (Camilo Gil Toledo III, Khalil Angelo Gamela , Ben Eltagon and Lover
Dan Continiedo) were born.
2007, by virtue of a Cotabato Council Board Approval, the
MT. APO KIDS (Rover Circle 2, Outfit 20 and
Troop 13) registered as an independent Institution and became the first and only recognized
Open-Community Scouting Institution in Cotabato Council. The
Institution was represented to the Council Jamborette. Through the kind
support financially of "friends in Scouting", the KIDS was able to register
a troop of less fortunate pupils.
Last year, 2008, the KIDS became partner and a recipient of a
donation from the United Methodist Church Global Ministries through the
efforts of the Community Mission United Methodist Men Organization and Mr. Camilo N. Toledo, Jr.
The training program became stronger and membership has increase including 30
"Girls in Boy Scouting" members.
The KIDS is proud to say that the objectives set seven years
ago has now been realized! |
