Scouting in the Philippines goes hand-in-hand with the American occupation of the
islands. Evidence of Scouting was found by the Boy Scouts of America and was part of
their first annual council meeting membership report in 1911. Aside from this report,
Robert Baden-Powell himself mentioned the existence of Scouting in the island in the British
Scouting magazine during his 1912 visit to the islands.

Most of these early Scout troops were never documented. The earliest documented Scout
troop in Philippine history was the Lorillard Spencer Troop. The troop was organized by a
United States Navy 2nd Lieutenant by the name of Sherman Kaiser on November 15, 1914, in
Zamboanga and was composed of young Muslim boys. It was named after the son of its
benefactor Caroline Spencer, who was an American charity worker who came to the
Philippines, particularly to Mindanao, and was given Sherman Kiser as an escort by the
United States Navy during her visit to the island.

Other troops organized were the Red Rose Girl Scout troop by Mrs. Gertrude Angen, an
American missionary. The troop was organized in 1918. The troop was registered with the
Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

More and more troops were being organized by American servicemen and missionaries all
over the island. These troops were likewise registered with the National Scout Associations
in the United States. However, the distance between the Philippine islands and the mainland
USA made it hard of troops in the Philippines to receive support and real organization.

This disorganized nature of the troops is what prompted the Rotary Club of Manila to write
the Boy Scouts of America in New York to formalize the movement in the island. On
October 5, 1923, the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America was organized.

Excerpt from Merit Badge Center Philippines