Cabral's body positive for antidepressant drug - PNP

The remains of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) former undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral tested positive for an antidepressant medication, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

Based on the initial toxicology report dated Monday, PNP Regional Forensic Unit–Cordillera (RFU-CAR) has confirmed the presence of citalopram in specimens taken from Cabral’s body.

The toxicology examination was requested by a medico-legal officer of the RFU-CAR and officially received at 9:00 a.m. on December 20.

Three specimens were submitted for analysis, including stomach contents, urine, and vitreous fluid. 

The report stated that specimens with urine and vitreous fluid yielded positive results for citalopram.

But the stomach content sample has been set aside for further analysis.

“This initial laboratory report is hereby issued pending the completion of the forensic examination,” the document noted.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, “Citalopram is used to treat depression, including major depressive disorder (MDD). It is an antidepressant that belongs to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.”

On December 18, 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.

The Tuba Municipal Station said a municipal doctor pronounced Cabral dead at the scene beside the Bued River on December 19.

Cabral resigned in September 2025 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 December 11 that the ICI would invite Cabral as a resource person in its investigation into ghost and substandard flood control projects.

Ex-DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, in an affidavit he read before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, implicated several lawmakers and former DPWH officials, including Cabral, in the collection of kickbacks from the anomalous projects. — RF, GMA Integrated News