THE Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) already has a lead in 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.
Colonel Joeresty Coronica, BCPO director, said aside from mistaken identity, they are also focusing on another angle to determine the identity of the suspects, but they cannot disclose it yet while the investigation is still on going.
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.
Coronica said they already secured a copy of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera. The footage showed that there’s an intention to kill the victim in the area.
BCPO has formed a special investigation team composed of City Investigation and Detection Management Unit, City Intelligence Unit, and investigators of Police Station 6, for the resolution of the case.
Mayor Greg Gasataya has extended his condolences and support to the family of Banaglorioso.
On August 27, Gasataya held a meeting with Banaglorioso’s eldest child at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) and assured that the city government will provide burial assistance and other necessary aid to the family.
Gasataya pledged to pursue a swift resolution to the case and ensure justice for the bereaved family.
“I, myself, was a son of a church driver,” the mayor stated while consoling the victim’s family.
“This brutal act of violence has no place in our city, and Bacolod will never tolerate lawlessness,” Gasataya said. (MAP)