Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said initial investigative findings point to deliberate intent in the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Catalina Cabral, citing her actions at a ravine in Tuba, Benguet and the medical examiner’s conclusions.
According to Remulla, investigators established that Cabral instructed her driver to stop at a specific roadside location while en route to Baguio City, approached the edge of the ravine, and was later told by police that parking there was not allowed. The group then proceeded to their hotel, only for Cabral to return to the same spot hours later.
“Paakyat pa lang ng Baguio, pinatigil niya ang driver sa eksaktong lugar. Tapos naglakad na siya papunta doon sa edge. Nakita sila ng pulis at sinabihan na bawal pumarada doon, kaya dumiretso na sila sa hotel,” Remulla said in a statement.
The interior secretary said the area she revisited was a steep drop estimated at around 30 meters, comparable to the height of a 10-storey building, a factor he said investigators consider in assessing intent.
“The seriousness of the intent is measured by the lethality of the means,” Remulla said.
Cabral had stepped down from her post at the DPWH in September amid congressional inquiries into alleged irregularities in flood control spending, including accusations of kickbacks involving public officials and legislators. Prior to her death, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure had announced plans to invite her as a resource person in its inquiry into purported ghost and substandard flood control projects, noting her former role overseeing planning.
Remulla said medico-legal findings did not support any indication of external violence.
“Ang autopsy po, number one, walang signs of foul play. Wala pong ligature marks, walang sinakal, walang gunshot wound, at wala ring knife wounds. Ang cause of death, ayon sa autopsy, ay blunt force trauma mula sa pagbagsak,” he said.
He added that the injuries documented were consistent with a high-impact fall.
“Ang nakita namin ay basag ang kanang bahagi ng mukha at likod ng ulo. Ang mga tadyang niya ay tumusok sa internal organs at bali ang kanyang mga paa,” Remulla said.
Investigators also reported no signs of a struggle inside the vehicle, no foreign skin DNA under Cabral’s fingernails, and no evidence of gunshot wounds.
