A CEBU City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has found Michael Vincent Bacaltos guilty in a deadly 2019 shooting, handing down its verdict more than six years after the feud erupted into gunfire that claimed three lives.
In a decision promulgated on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 by RTC Branch 18 Judge Chauncey Boholst, Bacaltos was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of homicide under Article 249 of the Revised Penal Code for the killing of Vanzant Navales.
Bacaltos was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of six years of prisión correccional as the minimum, to 12 years of prisión mayor as the maximum.
The court also ordered him to pay a total of P100,000 in damages to the victim’s heirs, with 50,000 as civil indemnity and another P50,000 as
temperate damages.
“All amounts due shall earn legal interest of six percent per annum from the finality of the decision until full payment,” reads a portion of the ruling.
The case stems from the bloody confrontation on Jan. 21, 2019 between former friends Bacaltos and Navales, who shared a common carracing hobby.
According to court records, prosecutors alleged Bacaltos attacked Navales with a handgun, shooting him several times and causing his death.
Bacaltos pleaded not guilty when arraigned on Feb. 1, 2019.
Incident
The incident reportedly took place outside the residence of Bacaltos in J. Alcantara St., Barangay Sambag 1, Cebu City, at 6:20 a.m.
Pre-trial proceedings established that the incident happened near the Bacaltos family residence and that Navales was armed with a 9mm pistol at the time.
The prosecution presented eight witnesses, including Navales’ older brother Vincent, who testified that he knew Bacaltos for about nine years.
He said their families were close until their relationship soured after Bacaltos allegedly chatted with Navales’ former girlfriend.
He recounted prior violent confrontations between the victim and Bacaltos’ younger brother, Shaun, including a fight in July 2018.
Bacaltos, previously admitted in a radio interview, to have shot Navales multiple times, causing his immediate death.
The incident also took the lives of Bacaltos’ father, Edwin, and his younger
brother, Shaun.
A portion of the court’s decision states that while the prosecution and defense differ on who fired first, evidence shows Edwin had already been shot before the accused took Vanzant’s gun and fired. It remains unclear if the accused knew his brother Shaun had also been shot at the time.
“Whilst versions between the prosecution and the defense defer (sic) as to who fired first, evidence shows that immediately prior to his act of taking Vanzant’s gun and fired at him, his father Edwin Bacaltos was already hit and down, albeit no clear evidence points to his knowledge prior to shooting Vanzant of his brother [Shaun] who was likewise hit and down,” reads a portion of the decision.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Bacaltos on Tuesday, Aug. 19, via Messenger to get his statement on the court ruling, but he has not responded as of press time. / DPC