Ex-DPWH Usec. Cabral found dead; ICI seeks investigation to ensure there was no foul play
A former DPWH official who was linked to the flood control scandal has been found dead in Benguet.
Ex-DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral died after she allegedly fell from a ravine along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, on Thursday evening, Dec. 18.
According to Benguet Police, Cabral and her driver Ricardo Hernandez were on their way to La Union at around 3 p.m. when they made a stopover along Kennon Road where Cabral requested to be left alone.
Hernandez said he went to a nearby gasoline station before returning to the area at around 5 p.m., but Cabral was nowhere in sight.
The driver then searched all around the area before going to Cabral's hotel in Baguio City, but did not find her there. He then reported the incident to the police at around 7 p.m.
Authorities later found Cabral lifeless below the highway along a riverbank before being retrieved.
The DPWH, in a statement released on Friday, Dec. 19, expressed its condolences to Cabral's family. "Undersecretary Cabral served the Department for more than 40 years, and her loss will be mourned throughout the organization," it said. "We recognize the profound loss the family is facing and offer our sincerest prayers."
"The Department urges everyone to respect the family's need for privacy as they mourn and come to terms with the sudden loss," it added.
Following the incident, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Benguet authorities to take custody of Cabral's gadgets.
"The Ombudsman’s office directs the authorities in Benguet to take custody of and preserve the cellphone and other gadgets of former Usec. Cathy Cabral. The same is to be turned over to the investigators at the proper time," said Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano.
ICI seeks investigation into Cabral's death
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which is tasked to look into irregularities in flood control projects, is calling for an investigation into Cabral's death, noting that she was "one of the central figures" in the corruption scandal.
"As the former undersecretary for planning, she was no doubt privy to vital information," it said.
The ICI also asked local authorities to preserve her documents and gadgets for possible digital forensics examination.
"The commission likewise calls for a prompt and thorough investigation of the death of Usec. Cabral to ensure that there is no foul play. Should authorities determine one, it is possible that those responsible may also be connected to the anomalous infrastructure projects," it added.
Cabral is one of the former DPWH officials accused of facilitating budget insertions through the National Expenditure Program by way of substandard and ghost projects and is facing administrative charges.
Former DPWH Usec. Roberto Bernardo alleged that Cabral is involved in kickbacks that benefited several public officials including lawmakers.
Last week, the ICI issued a subpoena for Cabral, but she didn't show up in the hearings.
