| Girl Scouts of the Philippines | |||
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 Facade of the National Headquarters Padre Faura Ermita Manila | |||
 Official emblem | |||
| Location | 901 Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila | ||
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| Country | Philippines | ||
| Coordinates | 14°34′51″N 120°59′16″E / 14.580771°N 120.987748°E | ||
| Founded | May 26, 1940 | ||
| Founder | Josefa Llanes Escoda | ||
| Membership | 800,000 (2017) | ||
| National President | First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos | ||
| Affiliation | World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts | ||
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| Website www | |||
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The Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) is the national Girl Scouting association for girls and young women in the Philippines. Its mission is "to help girls and young women realize the ideals of womanhood and prepare themselves for their responsibilities in the home, to the nation, and to the world community".[1] The girls-only association serves 800,000 members, as of 2017.[2]
The first Girl Scout troops were organized in the Philippines as early as 1918 by American missionaries and servicemen. These Scout troops were directly registered with the Girl Scouts of the USA.[citation needed]
Pilar Hidalgo-Lim and Josefa Llanes Escoda spearheaded the organization of a Scout movement for girls, and requested the assistance of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). In 1939, Mrs. Escoda was sent to the United States and Britain for training through the help of Joseph Stevenot of the BSP. Upon her return to the Philippines, she immediately started setting up the GSP with the help of other civic organizations.[citation needed]
On May 26, 1940, the GSP was chartered under Philippine Commonwealth Act No. 542.
In 1946, the GSP was accepted as a tenderfoot member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) during the 11th World Conference held at Evian, France. In 1948, the GSP became a full member of WAGGGS during the 12th World Conference held at Cooperstown, New York.
Since 1995, the organization lost nearly half of its members; the membership number decreased from 1,275,113 in 1995[3] to 671,267 in 2003.[2]
- ^ "What is Girl Scouting?". Girl Scouts of the Philippines. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ a b "Our world. Philippines". World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (1997). Trefoil round the World. London: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. ISBN 0-900827-75-0.