Senators on Friday, 19 December, mourned the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral.
Cabral, who was among those implicated in the flood control mess, allegedly fell into a ravine along Kennon Road in Baguio past 8 p.m. on Thursday, 18 December.
In a statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Cabral’s death was “unfortunate and tragic,” noting that she could have greatly helped expose the extent of corruption in the DPWH’s infrastructure program.
Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigating the flood control controversy, said he hopes Cabral may have left notes or files that could help ongoing probes.
He also revealed that Cabral, through her lawyer, met with him and two of his legislative staff at her initiative for a preliminary discussion on how she could proceed with her testimony before the Blue Ribbon Committee.
This meeting took place shortly after former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo first mentioned Cabral’s name in his sworn testimony, Lacson said.
At the time, Lacson said he had the impression that Cabral “was showing some signs of cooperating with our investigation but with a lot of pressure which we could not explain.”
“What bolstered my confidence was her lawyer’s statement that she could completely put her trust in me being the chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, with the knowledge that I have never dipped my fingers in any of the lists of projects - ‘pork’, ‘allocables’ or whatever name/s invented that she used to prepare for legislators and other personalities, she being the Usec for Planning,” he said.
“That being said, I hope she left some notes or files that may have evidentiary value worth pursuing in the ongoing investigations,” Lacson added. “Finally, may she rest in peace,” he added.
In September, Lacson tagged Cabral as allegedly involved in premature insertions in the proposed 2026 national budget.
He added that Cabral contacted a staff member of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III shortly after the May 2025 senatorial elections and invited them to submit proposed insertions for the 2026 National Expenditure Program.
Lacson, however, noted that Sotto declined to participate.
In a separate statement, Senator Jinggoy Estrada called on the public to give Cabral’s family a chance to mourn “regardless of any issues that may have surrounded her public life.”
“[We] must remember the human loss involved. Let us give her grieving family the space, peace, and understanding they need during this extremely difficult time,” Estrada said.