BACOLOD City Mayor Greg Gasataya condemned the killing of a church driver in front of Bacolod Cosmopolitan Church Incorporated in Purok 6, Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
Gasataya said this brutal act of violence has no place in the city.
"Our deepest condolences go to the victim’s family and church community. The City Government will extend necessary support to the family during this difficult time," he said.
He added that an immediate and thorough investigation is underway in coordination with the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), and those responsible will face the full force of the law.
On Sunday, Efren Banaglorioso, 59, a driver of the Bacolod Cosmopolitan Christian Church and resident of Barangay Granada, Bacolod City, had just come out of the church and was standing beside the road when a black Mitsubishi Montero stopped in the area.
An unidentified gunman alighted from the backseat of the vehicle and, without provocation, shot the victim seven times with an unidentified firearm before fleeing.
The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot.
Gasataya said Bacolod will never tolerate lawlessness.
"We will not allow fear to take hold of our streets. We stand firm against violence and remain fully committed to keeping our city safe," he said.
Captain Rosalino Pugoy, commander of Police Station 6, earlier said investigators are still gathering pieces of evidence to determine the identities of the perpetrators on board a Mitsubishi Montero.
Police are eyeing mistaken identity or personal grudges as possible motives for the killing.
Pugoy said the victim had no negative record in their barangay or with the Bacolod City Police Office but added they do not discount the possibility that he had enemies. (MAP)