Bloodbath in Taguig: Couple bludgeoned; child survives

A middle-aged couple was bludgeoned to death by still unidentified assailants while their 13-year-old daughter survived the attack yesterday morning inside their house in Taguig.

Police identified the victims as Florencio and Fe Dimaguila, both 48.

Their daughter, Joya Pama, was rushed to the Rizal Medical Center for treatment.

Aside from being repeatedly hit most likely with the lead pipe discovered at the crime scene, all three victims also sustained stab wounds in different parts of the body, said Police Officer 3 Rolly Concepcion, one of the first policemen to respond at the scene.

The victims were discovered inside the only room in their house at 44 Dr. Natividad street, Ibayo Tipas, Barangay Napindan at 10 a.m.

Neighbors and customers of the couple’s hardware store became suspicious when they noticed that the establishment was open but left unattended, especially since it was raining very hard, said Concepcion, of the Taguig Police Community Precinct 5.

They called the attention of a passing barangay tanod, who immediately sought police assistance.

Concepcion told The STAR in a phone interview that when he peeped through a window, he saw Fe and Joya on the bed, bloodied, while Florencio was sprawled on the floor near the comfort room. He was also lying in a pool of blood.

Concepcion said the teenager was still breathing, but her parents were already dead when they arrived.

"Blood was all over the room, even on the ceiling," Concepcion said. The victims’ faces were nearly smashed and they were also clubbed in different parts of their bodies, he added.

Concepcion also said the room was in disarray.

Initial investigation showed that the assailants could have robbed the family.

As of press time, police investigators and members of the Southern Police District-Scene of the Crime Operations (SPD-SOCO) were still at the crime scene to determine if anything was missing inside the house.

Concepcion said judging from the intensity of the attack, he believes that two or more assailants carried out the crime.

He added that Florencio was almost 5’7" tall and could have had the chance to overpower the assailant if the latter was alone.

Quoting the family‘s relatives, Concepcion said the Dimaguilas used to have some helpers and drivers for their hardware store.

But business had been slow, forcing the couple to lay off their workers.

Since then, only the three victims had been living at the bungalow that also housed their store.

Police are conducting a follow-up investigation into the incident. – Nikko Dizon