At 95, mom leads rites to honor Boy Scouts in ’63 plane crash

50 YEARS LATER Boy Scouts from Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. High School in Quezon City join Virginia Castor, 95, at Manila North Cemetery on Friday to pay tribute to the 24 scouts who perished in the 1963 aviation disaster. RICHARD REYES

Virginia Castor was among the more than a million people who packed Manila North Cemetery to offer prayers for their departed loved ones on Friday, All Saints’ Day.

At age 95, she went there still with vivid memories of a tragedy that struck the family when she was only 45.

Castor turned teary-eyed as she recounted how the remains of her son Roberto were recovered from the July 28, 1963, plane crash that killed 23 other Boy Scouts who represented the country in the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Greece.

Fifty years after the crash, joining her in remembrance were scouts from Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. High School, Roberto’s alma mater in Quezon City.

Castor recalled that she even accompanied her son during his month-long training on Mount Makiling, Laguna province, and saw how hard he worked to be a worthy Philippine delegate to the international jamboree.

“Parents like me were not allowed to get near the boys during their activities. I cried because I’m not used to that, especially when I saw him perspiring and sometimes getting mud all over,” she said.

Those exciting times for mother-and-son bonding proved to be their last.

The plane—United Arabian Airlines Flight 869—carrying the Boy Scouts to Athens, Greece, crashed into the Arabian Sea near India, killing all 52 passengers and eight crew members.

Several streets in Quezon City were later named in honor of the scouts who perished.

The BSP training program was recently revived at Eulogio Rodriguez through the efforts of the Castor family, who sponsored the camps and the students’ uniforms.

The alumni are also helping the school raise funds for uniforms and training especially for students from poor families, to promote the BSP’s mission.

“Being a Boy Scout is about having the leadership and discipline to become good citizens. We teach the scouts how develop their character as well as their relationship with God and their fellowmen,” said Raymond Dizon, a scout master and teacher at the high school.

The City Government of Manila offered flowers at the Boy Scout Memorial and also at the graves of other notable personalities buried in Manila North, such as former Mayor Arsenio Lacson and former Presidents Ramon Magsaysay and Manuel Roxas.

Also buried at the cemetery is movie legend and 2004 presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr.