• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Two linemen of Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO) lost their lives in the line of duty, as they were restoring electric power after the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.
Police said that a 45-year-old lineman named Sarex Alonso was fixing a post along the national road in Barangay Poblacion in Pontevedra town. While he was working on top of the post, the victim was accidentally electrocuted.
A concerned citizen who witnessed the incident posted a video where Alonso fell from the top of the post to the ground after he was electrocuted, which caused his immediate death.
The Pontevedra Municipal Police Station reported that the victim was rushed to the nearby hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Meanwhile, 38-year-old Joseph Talaban also lost his life on the same day after he had a cardiac arrest while on his way to work.
NOCECO expressed its condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, who bravely risked their lives in service to the community.
The electric provider said on Monday that all of its feeders were now energized and they are now working to energize all households within the franchise.
Aklan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AKELCO), Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO), and Capiz Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CAPELCO) have sent additional forces to augment in fast-tracking the power restoration in the province.
“With NOCECO and our Task Force Kapatid heroes working side by side, we’re one step closer to restoring electricity to every home—safely, swiftly, and together,” NOCECO said in a post.*
