OFW returns to Abra only to find husband shot dead

BAGUIO CITY — It was a tragic homecoming for this migrant worker, who is married to one of two men killed in Abra province on Oct. 22.

Wanting to surprise her family, Gladys Pilor, a domestic helper working in Qatar, returned home unannounced on Wednesday, Oct. 24, only to be told that her husband Rodel had been shot dead in Dolores town.

Rodel was a volunteer worker in the reelection campaign of Abra Gov. Maria Jocelyn Bernos.

He and fellow volunter Roland Lazara were ambushed as were traveling through Dolores on a motorcycle.

Bernos is running against Dolores Mayor Robert “JR” Seares. Both officials urged the police to conduct a thorough probe of the incident.

In a telephone interview, Mrs. Pilor said she had met with Bernos. She described Rodel as a sweet and caring father who would do everything for his four children — Althea Krisha Mae, 12; Glydel Des, 9; Iveler, 7; and Janeth, 5.

She asked the police to arrest her husband’s killers, saying ordinary people should not be attacked for their political affiliations.

Neither the police nor election officials have classified the Pilor-Lazada double murder as political killings.

Abra used to be notorious for having a rise in homicide cases during elections. But virtually no political violence have been recorded in Abra in the past two elections. /atm