Blasts rock Army camp in Isabela

Two explosions hit a military camp in Isabela province on Monday, but nobody was reported hurt or killed and the military is blaming it on disgruntled applicants. In a phone interview, Col. Miguel Puyao of the 5th Infantry Division said the explosions were “negligible" as they were caused by blasting caps, adding that the explosions were only as loud as those from ordinary firecrackers. Puyao said the explosions occurred around 1 a.m. at the Division Recruitment Office (DRO), which is a few meters away from the main gate of the Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu town. Camp Melchor dela Cruz is the home of the Army’s 5th ID. Puyao aid responding authorities recovered from the scene seven dynamite sticks that did not go off. He said the items are now in the custody of the intelligence community. Puyao said the explosions may have been connected to the recent screening by the DRO of candidate soldiers. He said that of the 600 applicants, only 245 were accepted to train to become regular soldiers. “That may have been perpetrated by those who did not make it to become candidate soldiers or by people endorsing those who failed to make it as candidate soldiers," he said. Puyao said the Scene of the Crime Office of the Philippine National Police is looking into the incident. — KBK, GMA News