BCPO links 13 Bacolod shootings to gun-for-hire suspect

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Police Col. Joeresty Coronica, director of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said 13 shooting incidents here since 2021 have been linked to a suspected gun-for-hire recently arrested in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Coronica disclosed that three firearms recovered from the suspect in a gun raid two months ago matched ballistic evidence from the 13 cases.

“We learned that he’s involved in gun-for-hire, thus we requested cross-matching of the recovered evidence to the confiscated firearms,” he said.

He clarified, however, that these incidents do not include the killings of Filipino-Chinese businessman Romy Li on Sept. 9 and church driver Efren Banaglorioso on Aug. 24.

Coronica said photos and names of the suspect were gathered through intelligence validation, which led to the application for a search warrant.

Despite the developments, Coronica emphasized that the evidence remains insufficient to file formal charges.

He said he directed the City Investigation and Detection Management Unit (CIDMU) to review the cases to determine if charges were filed or to identify reasons for non-filing.

Some of the incidents remain unsolved, and the police have coordinated with the victims’ families.