Electrocution Tragedy: FOUR dead in Baguio City, Benguet in January; BENECO steps up safety drive

Benguet, Philippines – Baguio City and Benguet province recorded a total of four electrocution-related deaths in separate incidents during the first three weeks of January 2026, prompting the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) to intensify its public safety campaign and raising alarm over unsafe work practices near energized power lines.

Data from BENECO, as reported on its official page, showed that most electrocution victims are house construction workers, streetlight installers, and individuals trimming trees near power lines without coordinating with the cooperative.

Records from the cooperative’s Health and Safety Office (HSO) revealed a 23.81 percent increase in electric shock and electrocution incidents in 2025, with 35 individuals affected compared to 24 in 2024.

This trend has continued into early 2026, with multiple incidents already recorded in January alone.

The recent deaths

According to Assistant General Manager Artemio Bacoco, via the cooperative’s official page, the fatalities involved members of the public and not BENECO employees. The incidents were linked to construction and installation activities conducted dangerously close to live electrical lines.

The first recorded deaths occurred on January 7 in Bokod, where a father and son were electrocuted while installing a water messenger pipe near overhead power lines. Three days later, on January 10, a house construction worker in Loakan died after the galvanized iron roofing sheet he was handling came into contact with a primary line, causing him to fall from approximately 20 meters.

On January 20, another construction worker was electrocuted when the steel bar he was bending touched a primary line. He later succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Previous electrocution-related deaths

Meanwhile, a report from the Network Services Department–Construction and Maintenance Office showed that from December 2021 to December 2025, at least 20 electrocution incidents involving solar streetlight installers were recorded, resulting in two deaths.

Benguet accounted for the highest number of casualties at 13, followed by Baguio City with eight, with one fatality recorded in each area.

In 2024, BENECO logged 24 electrocution incidents in Benguet, three of which resulted in deaths in Bokod, Tublay, and Bakun. Within the first two weeks of January 2025, five more cases were recorded, including a fatality in Mankayan and injuries to two workers in Tuba.

As incidents continue into 2026, BENECO reiterated its call for the public to coordinate with the cooperative before working near power lines and to strictly observe safety warnings.