Defensor: Lit cigarette caused Palace blast

Malacanang said on Monday that initial finding shows that a lit cigarette thrown into the garbage can containing lacquer thinner caused the explosion inside the Palace complex. Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said that the series of explosions in Metro Manila on Monday did not seem to be orchestrated by a group, contrary to the claim of Young Officers Union and Reformed Armed Forces of the Philippines (Young-RAFP). He said that the incident in Quezon City, where a grenade exploded was not deliberate. A soldier admitted the grenade accidentally fell from his hand. Defensor said Cabinet members are not worried over the threat of the Young-RAFP to conduct “explosive protests," and they even doubted the group’s existence. The President’s mood is “business as usual". What worries her is the reaction of the market after the incidents," Defensor said. He added that such threats would be a disservice to the people that the alleged groups claims to serve as it would only dampen investor confidence in the country. The Oakwood mutiny in 2003 netted an estimated P20-billion loss in investments. It took the country a year to restore investor confidence. The administration cannot allow such situation to happen again, especially now that the economy and the peso have continued gaining strength, Defensor said. GMANEWS.TV