House leaders: Cabral's death should not end probe, prosecution in flood control mess

The sudden death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral should not be "the end" in prosecuting the perpetrators of the supposed ghost flood control projects, House leaders said Friday.

House infrastructure panel chairperson Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list and House Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of ML party-list made the statement after Cabral, key figure in the flood control scandal, was found lifeless by Benguet police near the Bued River at 12:03 a.m. on Friday.

“It is not just a single person doing the insertions [for the flood control]. I'm quite certain she had staff that basically placed the line items there.  So, we can actually talk to them as well,” Ridon said in a press conference. 

“If it is a document that is official and it is in a laptop of the DPWH [as evidence] it is not only Undersecretary Cabral lang who can give testimony that it actually exists. So we have to look for those assistant secretaries, staff directors, with first-hand knowledge," he added.

De Lima, a former Justice chief, said Cabral’s suspicious death should already prompt the authorities to do better in prosecuting those liable in the flood control mess and face charges before courts.

“We extend our condolences to the family of former DPWH Usec. Maria Catalina Cabral. Amid the ongoing investigations into the massive corruption in which she has been implicated, her death invites great suspicion,” de Lima said in a statement.

”Hindi ito dapat maging dead end ng mga imbestigasyon. Mabilis na ring kumikilos ang mastermind o mga mastermind at sindikato para makalusot sa pandarambong kaya wala dapat sayanging oras ang mga kinauukulan sa paghahanap at pagprotekta sa mga ebidensya at sa pagpapanagot sa lahat ng sangkot,” she added.

(This should not be the dead end. The masterminds behind these crimes are also moving double time. And so, authorities should not waste any time in securing evidence and prosecuting the perpetrators of the flood control scam.)

House probe

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice, meanwhile, said he will file a resolution for the House of Representatives to investigate Cabral's death on Monday

Personnel from the Baguio City Police Office found Cabral beside the Bued River. The incident was said to be an “alleged fall.”

Police said that around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, the victim and her driver were traveling on Kennon Road towards La Union when the victim requested the driver to stop at Maramal, Camp 5, Camp 4, and asked to be left there.

He returned to the location around 5 p.m. but was unable to find her.

"Parang illogical na kung nagpaiwan man yung amo mo, siguro lalayo mo lang nang kaunti. 15 minutes. 15 minutes, babalikan mo na. Pero sabi niya, binalikan niya 5 o'clock, after 2 hours. So wala na," Erice said.

(It seems illogical that if you leave your boss, maybe you'd just go away for a little while—15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you'd be back. But he said he came back at 5 o'clock, after 2 hours.)

"With all her knowledge, hindi malayong possibility na may foul play yon. Kasi nga, illogical na iiwanan mo yung amo mo sa Kennon Road, sa gilid ng bangin for two hours. Tapos babalikan mo after two hours, wala na. Napaka-illogical nung kwento na yun. You can just imagine paano mo iiwanan," he added.

(It's not a remote possibility that there was foul play. Because it's illogical that you would leave your boss on Kennon Road, on the edge of a cliff, for two hours. Then you come back after two hours, and he's gone. That story is so illogical. You can just imagine how you would leave him.)

"Marami kasing tatamaan kung magsasalita si Usec Cabral dahil siya nakakaalam noong mga insertions, kung sino yung mga proponents. Siya nakakaalam," he added. 

(Many people will be affected if Usec Cabral speaks because she knows about the insertions and who the proponents are.)

Potential links

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has said that investigators looking into Cabral's death will focus on the incident's potential links to the flood control corruption scandal.

In a statement, the PNP said, "The allegations of Cabral's involvement in the flood control issue will also be among the angles that police investigators would focus on."

PNP acting chief Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said "I have already ordered a thorough investigation into this incident for us to have a clear picture of what happened."

"While there was already an initial impression regarding what happened, we should not rule out any factor until our forensic investigators are able to establish the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it," he added.

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

Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) spokesperson and Executive Director Brian Keith Hosaka said on December 11 that the ICI would invite Cabral as a resource person in its investigation into substandard and ghost or non-existent flood control projects. —with reports from Tina Panganiban-Perez/ VAL, GMA Integrated News