Entertainment Industry Mourns the Passing of Vangie Labalan
VANGIE LABALAN – The veteran actress, whose real name was Ma. Christina Bonghanoy Labalan, passed away on February 12, 2026, at the age of 83.
The sad news was shared by her son Carlo through social media, explaining that she died in Australia due to an illness while surrounded by loved ones. Her remains will be brought back to the Philippines, with funeral details to be announced later. She is survived by her four children and leaves behind a legacy remembered by family, friends, and fans whose lives she touched through her kindness and dedication to her craft.
Vangie had a remarkable acting career that lasted more than six decades. She began her journey at the age of 19 in 1962 when she auditioned for a radio drama in Bacolod. Her life changed in 1979 when National Artist for Film Ishmael Bernal discovered her in a dubbing studio and cast her in important films such as City After Dark, Himala, and Sugat sa Ugat, which helped establish her as a respected character actress.
Aside from acting, she also worked as a voice actress, radio soap writer, translator, and producer of radio commercials, where she earned well and gained valuable experience. Her talent and reliability made her a favorite collaborator of another National Artist for Film, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, who cast her in several projects. One of the highlights of her career was appearing alongside Vilma Santos and Malu de Guzman in Alyas Baby Tsina.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she became part of many well-known films and was often cast in roles as a nanny or house helper, though she was especially loved for her performances in comedy movies. She also appeared in numerous television series and continued working well into later years. In recent times, she became part of action-drama projects led by Coco Martin, including FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.