Dimataling, Zamboanga del Sur — June 15, 2025
A tragic ambush claimed the lives of a mother and her daughter on Sunday morning, June 15, while they were en route to a church service in Pitogo town aboard a tricycle.
The victims, identified as Vangie Tabunda, 50, and her 20-year-old daughter Thea, were gunned down by unidentified armed men in Barangay Kagawasan, Dimataling, Zamboanga del Sur.
According to separate reports from the Dimataling Municipal Police Station and the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office, the mother and daughter sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died instantly at the scene.
Witnesses and barangay officials recounted that the assailants blocked the victims’ path before repeatedly firing at them. The gunmen quickly fled the scene onboard motorcycles, leaving no immediate trace.
Tabunda was a cooperative development specialist employed by a local government unit in the nearby province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Her colleagues and family described her as a dedicated public servant and a loving mother.
Authorities have launched a full investigation into the incident to determine the motive and identify those behind the attack.
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward as the community mourns the senseless killing of the mother and daughter.