TUBA, Benguet — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) issued an appeal for public discretion and privacy Friday following the death of former Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, whose body was recovered from a ravine in Benguet province.

In an official statement, the DPWH requested that the public respect the privacy of Cabral’s family as they grieve.

The agency also honored Cabral’s four decades of public service.

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

The appeal for privacy comes as authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

Cabral, who had recently resigned from her post, was found unresponsive Thursday night near the Bued River, approximately 20 to 30 meters below Kennon Road in Tuba.

According to police reports, Cabral was traveling with her driver toward La Union on Thursday afternoon when she asked him to stop at a bridge in Barangay Camp 4. She reportedly requested to be left alone for a short time.

The driver told police he returned two hours later to find her missing. After a search that included a return trip to their hotel in Baguio City, the driver alerted the Baguio City Police Office.