Surveillance footage shows the taxi driven by 47-year-old Johnny Burdas with its hazard lights turned on. Burdas was later found dead, with gunshot wounds, inside the same vehicle in Brgy. Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City on July 2, 2025.
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – The family of a taxi driver who was found shot dead inside his vehicle in Barangay Mactan is calling for justice, as police continue to investigate the gruesome killing.
The victim was identified as Johnny Burdas, 47, a resident of Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City.
His lifeless body was discovered inside his taxi parked in a vacant lot in Barangay Mactan early Wednesday morning, July 2, with gunshot wounds to the chest and the engine still running.
READ: Taxi driver found dead with gunshot wounds in Lapu-Lapu City
Initial reports from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) said residents heard three gunshots around 1 a.m.
But they only realized something was amiss when they noticed a bullet hole in the driver’s window and called the authorities.
Two spend cartridges
When the authorities arrived, the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) immediately processed the crime scene.
The taxi’s engine was still in operation when the police arrived.
Authorities found two spent cartridges near the taxi unit and gunshot wounds on the driver’s chest.
Surveillance footage from a nearby establishment showed the taxi passing by at around 1:22 a.m., stopping with its hazard lights on before pulling into a vacant lot, the same spot where Burdas was later found dead.
Sara, the victim’s wife, rushed into the crime scene after her relatives from Cebu City informed her about what happened.
In an interview with dySS Super Radyo GMA, she revealed that she heard that the victim was booked via Maxim, a road hailing application.
“Nitingog na iyang cellphone kay ni-notify ang Maxim kay na-bookingan siya,” Sara said.
(His phone rang to notify that he was booked via Maxim.)
However, she didn’t know that her husband took the booking and left their house without informing her.
Robbery?
She added that she didn’t have any idea if her husband had a conflict with anyone, since he would not tell her any of his problems.
They also believed that her husband might have been robbed since his cellphone and wallet were allegedly missing.
His daughter, Kyra, said that her last conversation with her father happened when he invited her to eat with him at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
“Wala raman siyay istorya nga problema kay itago raman gud na niya,” Kyra said.
(He never speaks of his problems because he would rather keep it to himself.)
The victim’s family is asking for justice and appealing to the suspect to surrender to authorities.
Police Lt. Col. Christian Torres, spokesperson of LCPO, confirmed they are currently conducting a backtracking of the taxi’s route and reviewing other available CCTV footage in hopes of identifying the suspect.