Abducted Ecija power co-op exec found dead

CABANATUAN CITY — A top official of the Nueva Ecija Electric Cooperative II (Neeco II), who was abducted by armed men in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija last Tuesday, was found dead in San Ildefonso, Bulacan the following day, police said.

Found dead was Armando Leabres, 42, Neeco II’s canvasser and purchasing officer for Area 2 based in Barangay Diversion here.

Superintendent Roel Obusan, intelligence and investigation chief of the provincial police, said Leabres was snatched while he was on his way to his office in Barangay Diversion at about 7:20 am Tuesday by armed men on board a van.

Obusan said the motive behind Leabres’ abduction was not yet known since, according to his wife, he had no known enemies.

Obusan said it was still unclear if Leabres was a sympathizer of the left-leaning group Bayan Muna.

"He is not in the files of Bayan Muna so we have no way of knowing yet," he said.

Obusan said they are looking into the possibility that his abductors might be the same people responsible for the aborted bombing of Globe Telecom’s transmission tower in Peñaranda town last Monday night since the latter group also used a van.

"We will try to see some relation based on the vehicles used," he said.