Now on its 8th year, the TOBSPA Award for Community Service continues to give honor to exemplary individuals and community service projects that serve as inspiration to all Filipino Scouts. 

Gawad Apolinario O. Leyson, Sr.

For 2012, Gawad TOBSPA was named after Scouter Apolinario O. Leyson, Sr. for his moving life story as an orphan who, against the odds, has grown to become a man of dignity and molded minds and talents of Scouts in Cebu.  He was a street child who had good values and trained his fellow street youth to be good citizens as well.  While studying and working as a canteen assistant at University of San Jose-Recoletos, he joined Scouting where he was further honed to become an individual with dedication and passion to be of service to other people.  He later became the assistant of Scoutmaster Sergio Damaso until he was hired as a Scoutmaster of Sacred Heart School for Boys. 

As a Scoutmaster, he developed young minds into great ones; he sharpened those blunt talents and he honed those imperfections to exemplary character.  Because of his unparalleled performance, he received a Gold Service Award, Perlas Award on the Valuable Filipino, Bronze USA Award, and Silver Merit Award, to name a few.  In addition, he also produced seven TOBS awardees, more than 100 Rizal Awardees and several Ave Maria Awardees.  He was also one of the Ten Outstanding Scoutmasters and was awarded with Scout Citizen Award.

As a gesture of honor and appreciation, TOBSPA presented the Plaque of Recognition to Sctr. Leyson during the 2012 Search for the Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines Awarding Ceremonies on October 1, 2012 in Makati City.  It was presented by Vice President and BSP National President Jejomar C. Binay assisted by BSP Secretary General J. Rizal C. Pangilinan, TOBSPA President Wigz G. Encarnacion, and TOBSPA Trustee and a former Scout of Mr. Leyson, Atty. Jennoh H. Tequillo.

KKK ng Tagpos

Gawad Apolinario O. Leyson, Sr. was awarded to Scout Antonio Ma. B. Reyes IV of Rizal Council for his community service project entitled “Kangkungan ng Katipunan ng Kabataan (KKK) ng Tagpos.”  With the help of his fellow Scouts and the Sangguniang Kabataan, the project aimed at addressing the environmental, economic and social concerns in his community.  He tapped the out-of-school youth (OSY) and spearheaded the installation of floating garden squares planted with kangkong in Laguna de Bay to serve as barriers to water hyacinths that hinder the work of the fishermen in the bay.  The harvested kangkong are sold which became a source of livelihood of the OSY and their families.

Scout Reyes bested two other Gawad finalists: “Busilak” (which involved self-esteem camps) by Scout Josmond Jude Gorecho of Iloilo Council and “Potentials of Common Herbal Plants in Sequestering Copper in Former Mine Brownfields” by Scout Ven Gabriel G. Tan of Marinduque Council.

Scout Reyes received a Plaque of Recognition, a medallion and Php5,000 cash presented by  BSP National President Jejomar C. Binay, Gawad Honoree Apolinario O. Leyson, Sr. and BSP Secretary General J. Rizal C. Pangilinan.