Mystery surrounds the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
After a frantic search by the Baguio City Police Office, Cabral was found unconscious on the slopes of the Bued River on December 18. She was pronounced dead hours later after failed attempts to revive her.
Police reports reveal that at around 3:00 PM that day, Cabral was traveling towards La Union when she requested her driver, Ricardio Muñoz Hernandez, to stop and leave her at Kennon Road, Maramal, Camp 5. Hernandez told police that Cabral dismissed him, prompting him to proceed to a nearby gasoline station to wait.
After two hours, Hernandez returned to the Maramal area to look for the former official but when no trace of her was found, he decided to return to the Baguio City hotel where Cabral was checked in, assuming she had gone back on her own.
When he still could not locate Cabral, Hernandez returned to Kennon Road area in an attempt to find her, after all his efforts failed, he sought help from the nearest police substation at View Deck Station 8.
Police personnel then conducted a search, which led to the discovery of Cabral 30 meters below the highway at the side of the Bued River. She was unresponsive.
Authorities have given no further details on the case as of press time.
Cabral was part of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) investigation into flood control projects. She later resigned from public service but had been summoned to several Senate hearings regarding the DPWH project scandals.
During her tenure, Cabral led the DPWH Planning and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Service. She made history as the first female President of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) and later served as National President of the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines. In 2021, she held the Professional Chair in Engineering Science and Technology at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). Maria Elena Catajan