7,000 take military academy exams

Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City: Over 7,000 young Filipinos have applied for admission to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) this year, 2,000 more than in 2006, despite reports of mounting casualties in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf.

PMA superintendent Major General Leopoldo Maligalig said still more applicants were trying to land admissions to the premier military institution.

Some 7,739 applicants, both men and women, appeared for the exams in 29 exam centres around the country, including one in Jolo, Sulo on Sunday, said PMA spokesman, Air Force Captain Dennis Solomon.

Maligalig, under whose leadership the PMA had initiated reforms aimed at insulating the institution from politics, attributed the number of applicants to an aggressive promotional campaign by the academy.

"With the big number of examinees this year," Maligalig said, "there is a big possibility that more will pass."