By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With the administration’s probe into the flood control mess remaining in full force, the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral serves as a worrying development in this pressing national issue.
Cabral was earlier cited by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) among several central figures embroiled in an anomalous flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan, and was likewise tagged in alleged budget insertions in government public works.
The former Public Works undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership allegedly jumped off a cliff near the Bued River along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, on Dec. 18, with her body recovered 20-30 meters below the highway and later declared dead on Dec. 19 at 12:03 a.m.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla recounted some details of the tragedy, “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, [sinabi] ‘bawal pumarada d’yan, umalis kayo’, then dumiretso na sila sa hotel.”
Secretary Remulla added that Cabral and her driver, 56-year-old Ricardio Munos Hernandez returned to the same spot at Camp 4 at around 3:00 p.m., with the former Public Works official instructing Hernandez to leave her there briefly. He parked at a nearby fuel station, only to discover later on that Cabral was no longer there where he dropped her off.
Initially, Hernandez checked with their hotel, thinking that Cabral might have taken public transportation back to Baguio City, but he failed to find her, eventually reporting her disappearance to police at about 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 18.
Preliminary results
In a probe immediately launched by the Philippine National Police (PNP), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and Police Regional Office (PRO) Cordillera following the incident, Cabral’s body went through an autopsy that unveiled blunt force trauma as the cause of her demise.
Other details in the report show that there were no signs of struggles in the car and no skin cells were found in Cabral’s fingernails.
Remulla said in a statement, “Ang autopsy, number one, tiningnan muna namin ‘yung scene of the incident. Wala kaming nakitang foul play. Ang kotse niya ay walang nakitang signs of foul play either.”
The Interior Chief expounded the autopsy report, “Ang nakita namin ay basag ang dito niya [right side of face], likod ng ulo. Ang ribs niya ay pumasok sa internal organs at bali ang kanyang mga paa.”
He said all indicators and initial findings point to suicide as a probable reason for Cabral’s death. He likewise underscored that despite this, an intensive investigation accessing the pieces of evidence will be executed to dispel suspicions and fake news.
Earlier, the Ombudsman called for a custodial takeover of the gadgets and properties of the former Public Works official to aid in a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to her tragic demise.
The Palace and the DPWH, where Cabral has served for over 40 years, likewise expressed condolences to her kin, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. honoring the privacy of her family in the wake of this incident.
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