The official Publication of Leyte Council

Vol. 1 June-December 2019

Deanne Louise Ronquillo
Girls from different schools
in the Leyte Division attended this
years Patrol Leaders Training
Course (PLTC) held at the Leyte
Girl Scout Council, Tacloban City
on October 4 – 6.
The training course had dif-
ferent session and activities on
teaching a girl scout to be a good
leader as well as the different pro-
grams a girl could apply to.
These girls also had differ-
ent social activities like the Miss
PLTC and the Miss Charity in or-
der to build a fund for the Leyte
Council.
The Miss PLTC 2019,
Cherry Blanche Daclizon, a Senior
Girl Scout from Sta. Mesa National
High School, Dagami, Leyte, and
Miss Charity 2019, Fina Tonido,
from Burauen Comprehensive Na-
tional High School, Burauen, Ley-
te.
“We had a lot of fun during
this activity and I learned a lot. I
hope with this I can do better and a
lot more as a girl scout.” said a girl
scout who attended the activity.

Junior, Senior and cadet camp at climbing and rappelling , obstacle

Camp marina –yulo Vargaa RPTC
at Kalunasan, Cebu, City with the
theme ‘Girls in Action for Leader-
ship and Service’ last October 19 –
24.
Girl from different regions
were assigned into three different
sub camps for both junior and sen-
ior girl scouts,
Jenn Gabrielle Sayong Girls from different sub
Girl Scouts from the Visa- camps take turns in participating
yas region attended the Regional the given activities like rock
games, arts, and the most enjoyed
activity was the tour around Cebu.
There were presentations
too in campfire with the Christmas
theme and Council extravaganza
with a festival theme.
“I had a fun night here
even though it’s already night and
we all feel sleepy but we chose to
do this so we have to enjoy and
participate” a Girls Scout from
Leyte said.
Girl Scouting Around the World: My Experi-
ence at the 17th Int’l Camp Korea
Robina Balandra
Girl Scouts of the Philip-
pines in the 17th Girl Scout Inter-
national Camp, Korea in the World
Jamboree Center located at Gang-
won-do, Goseong held on August 5
-9, 2019 which turned out to be a
great opportunity to broaden my
views and way of thinking.
We could not help but ad-
mire our surroundings, everywhere
you turn to, greenery was all you
could see, from the well-structured
layout of the campsite down to the
clean pavements that trailed to the
different parts of the camp. This is
my first international camp and
from all that I’ve experienced, I
can truly tell that camping interna-
tionally is way different than
camping within the country.
In this five-day
camp, I have experienced more
than I have before in my life. I
have watched K-Pop stars perform
live, joined the marine activity in
Living the Girl
Scout Dream
Robina Balandra
Four years ago, I was a girl
who dreamed. I was a camper who
first set foot in the Marina Yulo-
Vargas RPTC in Cebu City to par-
ticipate in the Regional Junior, Sen-
ior, and Cadet Camp. Who would
have actually thought that I would
be back in Camp Marina this year
to attend the same event, not as a
camper, but as a camp coordinator
for media.
Serving as a part of the me-
dia staff was not as easy as I
thought it would be, thinking that
all I would have to do was write
some articles and take pictures here
and there. But, it turned out to be a
greater responsibility. Sleepless
nights from writing and planning to
which we were grouped and had to running around camp to cover the
row a boat in the sea where we activities which resulted in an ex-
swam afterwards, participated in hausted mind and body.
different course activities which
are in line with the programs of "Happy to serve?", one
WAGGGS like the Free Being Me would ask. "Happy to serve!", I
and Speak Out for Gender Equali- would reply. These phrases have
ty, and performed to showcase the been repeated many times amongst
Filipino tribal dances to other ourselves as we continue to work
countries. One thing that eve- on accomplishing our tasks.
ryone was looking forward to was Through this, I have been able to
the exchanging of badges and to- forge unbreakable bonds with my
kens with other international camp- sisters in green as we all strived to
ers. I gave badges, Filipino world! lead and to serve.
snacks, scarves, pins, and even
socks! And in return, I also got Girl scouting never ceases
badges, snacks and delicacies, pins, to amaze me with how it enables
scarves, keychains, and other sou- me to meet sisters across the coun-
venirs. try whom I know will turn out to be
It was actually quite over- my lifetime companions.
whelming coming to the realization Truly, girl scouting has
that this many scouts and guides made me come so far. From a girl
from all over the world are all ad- who dreamed of serving, to the
vocates to the programs of girl who became of service. Go be-
WAGGGS and how all these peo- yond borders and turn your dreams
ple have come together to create a into a reality.
better world for everyone.
 Deafening Silence
Robina Balandra
In a small city such as
Tacloban, my hometown, one
wouldn’t expect sexual assault to
be as rampant as it really is today.
Everyday, people go about in their
lives ignoring the whispers of pleas
from those who have been si-
lenced. People choose to suffer si-
lently and try to live through it
knowing that they have been
changed and sexually exploited
against their will, that they were
not who they once were.
“But why?”, I asked my-
self. Victims are asked what they
did to “entice” the culprit, or why
they didn’t try to fight back. Truly,
We are beYOUtiful
Cearlovey Granali
Social media, where users
create and share contents to con-
nect with others all around the
world. But in today's world, social
media seems to be a world of per-
fection. It became a world wherein
thousands of likes, slim faces, coca
-cola bodies, light complexions,
and pouty lips matter.
Nowadays, girls tend to use
beauty apps to make themselves
look perfect and fit in the beauty
standards set by social media users.
Nothing is bad for wanting to look
pretty.
I was also once a victim of
the image myth. The thought of
looking pretty, being skinny to gain
a society that seems to be against
women.
This act of victim-blaming
has grown to become more tena-
cious than what we think we are
aware of. Some instances of victim
-blaming originate from ignorance,
meanness, or a smug sense of supe-
riority.
As a girl scout who has
been given the privilege to be one
of the 151 girls who were able to
attend the 3rd National Gathering
of; Girl Representative, I have
grown aware of the dangers that
lurk in our surroundings. Further-
more, I have been corrected on my
perceptions on these cultures we
have grown accustomed to. Know-
ing what to fight for and why we
thousand likes mattered to me. But
thanks to the Girl Scouts of the
Philippines who taught me self-
love and self-acceptance through
the Free Being Me and Action on
Body Confidence Program. I start-
ed to love myself more by taking
care of myself as I started to accept
and love my flaws.
Self-love is important for
you can't love others without loving
yourself first. Self-love gives us
greater life satisfaction. Once we
love ourselves, we become content-
ed with what we have and what we
are.
Amy Bloom once said,
"You are imperfect, permanently
and inevitably flawed. And you are
should fight for it drove me to be-
come the person I am today, an ad-
vocate for gender equality.
It will certainly not be an
easy journey, which is why I’m
asking everyone to become aware
and join the girl scout movement in
spreading word about the global
campaign of World Association of
Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS) to end violence
against girls and women called the
STOP THE VIOLENCE.
You have a voice, use it to
create a society that is free from
discrimination and inequality.
Make your voice be heard.
beautiful". Self-acceptance is also
important for who would accept
you first but yourself? When we
love ourselves, we learn to love and
accept our flaws.
As a girl scout, I want girls
and young women to find and ap-
preciate the beauty in them. I will
introduce them the Free Being Me
and Action on Body Confidence
Program by not only conducting
seminars and workshops in the
council and in the community, but
also through social media.
Nothing is more beautiful
than loving and accepting yourself,
and being beautiful in your own
unique way.

Sophia Niña G. Herbito
December 1 2019, where the
42nd GSP national Camp took
place at the national eco-park. A
smile that reached my eyes was evi-
dent, painted perfectly on my face,
symbolizing the excitement and en-
deavor I had while having to expe-
rience the activities inside the
CGSMS Awarding 2019
Ruthea Veronica A. Flora
The Chief Girl Scout Medal
is a prestigious award given to girl
scouts who successfully finished
their chosen community project
that could be under health, ecology,
livelihood, cultural heritage, and
more. I was blissful but above all,
grateful to finish this Chief Girl
Scout Medalist Scheme and receive
the said award.
My CGSMS story started
just like how other girl scouts did.
We had the same will to help our
community in our ways. The first
time I applied for the scheme was
not successful due to numerous
reasons, however, I didn’t allow
those reasons to stop me from
achieving my goal. I applied again
and thankfully, my efforts were
paid off.
Camp. As my feet sions plastered on their faces, but
stepped in the one was unalike. Swimming was
boundaries of the part of the activities which I person-
venue and the ally endeavor, a river settled in the
fresh wind of Min- park and we swam from one side to
danao kissed my the other which made my senses go
soft skin it was 360° because of adrenaline rush
final, 'there's no sipping through every fiber of my
turning back' I being.
whispered to my- Heartbeat in a fast pace was
self. Billions of what I had because of overflowing
questions were excitement for the upcoming activi-
floating inside my ty. "Bayle" also known as Foam
mind as I think about my expecta- Party was held the night before the
tions in this camping closing program. Loud party music,
Three-hour hiking in the unending chitchats with friends
middle of the day, with the sun di- from different councils all over the
rectly shining on us, heat guzzing Philippines, foam, wet clothes, a pit
through our skin, having a mild of laughter came from our group,
headache hence the high tempera- not wasting any time, making most
ture. Heavily armed soldiers sur- of the remaining time we have in
rounding the trail with stoic expres- this very much memorable camp.
I decid-
ed to build a
children’s
playground in
an area in my
hometown. It
was not easy to
do so because
it really re-
quired a lot of
labor work.
But with the
help of my parents, my troop leader called, I was brought back to the
and workgroups, we made it very reason why I started my pro-
through! ject: The willingness to help other
When we arrived at the people. When I was introduced to
PICC Plenary Hall, I saw hundreds the Chief Girl Scout Medalist
of girl scouts and it made me really Scheme, I was immediately ab-
happy because we helped hundreds sorbed. I thought that this was it.
of communities! As I was standing My chance to be of use to the soci-
in line, waiting for my name to be ety that I am living in. change.
Leyte Girl Scout Clubs and Officers

Senior Planning Board

Service Auxiliary Volunteers for

Emergency and Relief
Leyte Council
Adventures
International Camp in Korea

National Camp in Zamboanga Regional Camp in Cebu