Abra electric coop employee shot dead in Peñarrubia while on duty

Abra, Philippines – A routine shift turned tragic for a meter reader of the Abra Electric Cooperative (ABRECO) after he was shot dead on Monday morning in Sitio Sinilagan, Barangay Lusuac, Peñarrubia.

The 53-year-old victim, identified as Bernard “Mitch” Colet, a resident of Zone 4, Bangued, was discovered by employees of the Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO), who immediately alerted the police.

Upon arrival, responding officers found the victim lying bloodied beside a motorcycle without a plate number.

According to the Peñarrubia Municipal Police Station, Colet sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the back. No shell casing was recovered at the crime scene.

The body was found near the location where Daniel Pog-ok, a farm specialist of an ADTEMPCO-operated training facility and a native of Sagada, Mountain Province, was previously shot dead while sleeping in his room.

A colleague of the victim told local media that Colet had gone to the remote area to take a meter reading at a transmitter site, a task he had routinely performed over the past three months. On the day of the incident, no personnel were reportedly present at the site.

Meanwhile, the general manager of ABRECO said Colet’s death may be work-related, noting that he was part of the cooperative’s disconnection and reconnection team.

In a statement, the board of directors, management, and staff of ABRECO condemned the killing and vowed to exert all efforts to ensure the apprehension of the perpetrator and to seek justice for the bereaved family.

Police authorities are currently exploring all possible motives to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Authorities are also urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward.