Cabral surveyed ravine an hour before fatal fall—DILG
Warning: This article includes mention of suicide.
An hour before her death at the bottom of a ravine in Tuba, Benguet, former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Catalina Cabral surveyed the spot, said Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla in a statement on Dec. 20.
"Paakyat pa lang ng Baguio, pinatigil niya ang driver at the exact same spot. Tapos naglalakad na siya papunta doon sa edge. Nakita sila ng pulis, [sabi] 'bawal pumarada diyan. Umalis kayo,' then dumiretso na sila sa hotel," Remulla said.
"The seriousness of the intent is measured by the lethality of the means," he added, noting that Cabral likely picked the spot for its depth. The drop to the bottom measured approximately 30 meters, comparable to the height of a 10-story building.
On Dec. 18, Cabral was found dead at the bottom of a ravine along Kennon Road. Benguet police reported that she and her driver, Ricardo Hernandez, were en route to La Union around 3 p.m. when Cabral asked Hernandez to stop at a spot on the road and left her alone.
Hernandez said he then drove to a nearby gasoline station and only returned to pick up Cabral around 5 p.m. But Cabral was no longer there.
After searching the area and not finding Cabral, Hernandez drove back to Cabral's hotel in Baguio City, but she was not there, either. At around 7 p.m., he went to the police.
Authorities later found Cabral's body by a riverbank at the bottom of the ravine.
Hernandez has since become a person of interest in the case.
After her family gave consent, the Philippine National Police conducted an autopsy on Dec. 20 at around 3 a.m. with her husband Cesar Cabral as witness, according to reports.
"The initial reports show that, with all certainty, she died of blunt force trauma," Remulla told media.
"Ang autopsy, number one, tiningnan muna namin 'yung scene of the incident. Wala kami nakitang foul play. Ang kotse niya ay walang nakitang signs of foul play, either," the secretary said in the DILG statement.
The secretary added that police did not detect signs of struggle in Cabral's car, nor were skin cells found embedded in her fingernails.
Controversy surrounding Catalina Cabral
During her tenure as DPWH undersecretary, Cabral was a gatekeeper in the budgeting process for projects, according to former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in his Senate testimony. He said part of her tasks was to allocate funds for infrastructure projects, including those for flood control.
About a week before her death, Cabral was issued a subpoena by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure in connection with its investigation of the flood control mess.
