DPWH mourns ex-undersecretary Cabral’s passing

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday expressed its condolences to the family of former undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, who died in an alleged fall in Benguet.

“Undersecretary Cabral served the Department for more than 40 years, and her loss will be mourned throughout the organization,” DPWH said in a statement. 

The DPWH also called on the public to respect the privacy of Cabral’s family.

“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,” the agency said.

“We thank you for your compassion and understanding,” it added.

On Thursday evening, Cabral was found “unconscious and unresponsive” about 20 to 30 meters below a highway, several hours after she asked her driver to drop her off at a section of Kennon Road.

READ: Who was ex-DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral?

Tuba Municipal Station chief Police Major Peter Camsol said a municipal doctor pronounced Cabral dead at the scene beside the Bued River at 12:03 a.m. on Friday.

According to the police, Cabral and her driver were traveling along Kennon Road toward La Union around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday when she requested to stop at Maramal, Camp 5, Camp 4, and asked to be left there.

The driver returned to the area around 5:00 p.m. but Cabral was not there. He later sought police assistance at about 7:00 p.m. after further efforts to find Cabral proved unsuccessful.

Baguio police went to the scene and found the victim at the side of the Bued River.

Authorities are still investigating the circumstances of Cabral’s death.

Cabral was a seasoned bureaucrat once described as a "model" for "Women in Infrastructure."

She resigned in September amid the congressional investigations into anomalous flood control projects and alleged kickbacks by lawmakers and government officials.

Independent Commission for Infrastructure spokesperson Brian Hosaka said on Dec. 11 that the ICI would invite Cabral as a resource person in its investigation into ghost and substandard flood control projects. —VAL, GMA Integrated News