PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formed an Inter-Agency Task Force that would oversee the country’s preparation, organization, and hosting of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Jamboree (APRSJ) later this year.
The President, through Administrative Order No. 33 that was signed on May 21 – a copy of which was uploaded in the Official Gazette on Tuesday – said the Philippines, through the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), will host the APRSJ from December 14 to 21, 2025 at Kainomayan Scout Camp in Botolan, Zambales.
The theme of the event is “Be Prepared: Scouts for Peace and Sustainable Development.’’
The APRSJ is a major scouting event in the Asia-Pacific region, which seeks to provide opportunities for scouts aged 12 to 17 to experience fellowship of world scouting in a fun and learning environment.
Marcos said the successful hosting of the event would require the involvement and support of all concerned government agencies including government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), state universities and colleges (SUCs, and even local government units and the private sector.
He tapped the BSP to chair the task force which shall include representatives from the departments of Education, Foreign Affairs, Health, Information and Communications Technology, Interior and Local Government, Public Works and Highways, Tourism, and Transportation as members.
Also included in the task force are representatives of the Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Information agency.
Among the functions of BSP as chairperson of the interagency task force is the formulation and implementation of programs, activities and projects, as well as organization and management of the requirements for the hosting of the 33rd APRSJ; and the coordination and collaboration with other departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the government, including GOCCs and SUCs, regarding programs, activities and projects for the preparation, organization and hosting of the 33rd APRSJ.
Funds for the implementation of the said order shall be charged against available appropriations of concerned agencies, subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing laws, rules and regulations.
PSA census and surveys
The President, meanwhile, ordered the adoption of the updated list of designated statistical activities such as censuses and surveys that will be conducted by government agencies.
Marcos, through Executive Order (EO) 87 that was signed on May 21 and uploaded to the Official Gazette on Tuesday, said the updates list would “ensure the availability of reliable data that reflect the current state of the Philippine economy and socioeconomic growth.”
The EO read that the updated list of designated statistical activities shall support the generation of critical and essential data that are essential for economic planning, program development, and policy-making by both the government and the private sector.
It also directs all concerned agencies to submit the results of the conduct of the designated statistical activities and administrative reports to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) within the timeframes designated and approved by the PSA Board to ensure timely dissemination of statistical data to the public.
It also states that all designated statistical activities shall conform to official statistical standards, including classifications, frameworks, methodologies, concepts, and definitions, as approved by the PSA Board. Any improvements or revisions to these standards shall be adopted by implementing agencies only upon the approval of the PSA Board.
