TUBA, Benguet — The Department of Public Works and Highways has asked the public to respect the family’s privacy following the death of former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Estamo Cabral, whose body was recovered Tuesday night from a ravine along Kennon Road in Barangay Camp 4, Tuba town, Benguet.
Based on the police report, at about 3:00 PM on Thursday, Cabral and her driver were traveling along Kennon Road toward La Union Province when the victim requested the driver to stop at Kennon Road, Maramal, Camp 5, Sitio Camp 4, Tuba, and asked to be left there for a while.
The driver complied and proceeded to a nearby gasoline station. According to the driver’s statement, he returned to the victim at about 5:00 PM but failed to find her and subsequently searched the surrounding area. Unable to locate her, the driver went back to the hotel in Baguio City where they had been staying, thinking she may have returned there, but again failed to find her.
At about 7:00 PM on the same date, the driver returned to the scene to continue searching for the victim but was still unable to locate her. He then proceeded to Viewdeck Station 8 of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to report the incident. BCPO personnel responded to the scene and coordinated with the Tuba Police, who in turn contacted the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
The Tuba MDRRMO, together with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), was able to retrieve the body of the victim at around 12:00 midnight on December 19, 2025. Cabral was declared dead at around 12:03 AM on the same date. No official cause of death has been released as of Friday morning.
The DPWH expressed its condolences to the family of the former official. The department highlighted her 40 years of service to the organization and reiterated its request for the public to respect the family’s privacy.
"Undersecretary Cabral served the Department for more than 40 years, and her loss will be mourned throughout the organization."