Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, who had been linked to the flood control project scandal, was found dead near the Bued River on Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, on Thursday, Dec. 18.
Cabral was last seen alive that afternoon while traveling with her driver to La Union.
She reportedly asked him to stop in Maramal, Camp 5, and requested to be left in the area.
When the driver returned later, she was gone. He proceeded back to Baguio but did not find her there either.
Alarmed, the driver reported her missing to the Baguio City police.
Authorities later located Cabral lying unconscious near the Bued River, about 20 to 30 meters below the highway. She was declared dead shortly after midnight on Friday, Dec. 19.
Her remains were brought to a funeral parlor as investigators began piecing together the circumstances of her death. Police said follow-up inquiries are underway to determine whether foul play was involved.
Cabral’s passing comes as she faced scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects, a scandal that has cast a shadow over the DPWH and implicated several officials. (Tristan Lozano)
