BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong pressed for an autopsy on the remains of former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to determine the exact cause of her death.
Cabral’s family, however, rejected the procedure and the deoxyribonucleic acid test, saying they wanted to immediately bring her home.
Magalong, who also heads the Cordillera Regional Peace and Order Council (CRPOC), said Cabral’s driver, Ricardo Hernandez, is currently in police custody for questioning.
Police have searched Cabral’s vehicle for potentially sensitive documents or items but found nothing.
The mayor, a former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, stressed that an autopsy would have been crucial given the suspicious circumstances surrounding Cabral’s death.
Authorities have yet to establish whether she committed suicide or if foul play was involved.
Cabral’s body was recovered at the bottom of a ravine in Tuba town, Benguet province, on Dec. 18.
Her husband, Engr. Ceasar, lamented the requirement for an autopsy and DNA testing before they could bring her remains home.
“My wife suffered a lot, 42 years in service, then this is what happened,” Ceasar said, adding that he believes her death was an accident. “My wife only went to Baguio City to unwind due to the stress she was experiencing.”
He explained that the family had already identified Cabral’s remains and wanted to take her home immediately, but the requirements imposed felt like “torture” to them.
Meanwhile, Police Major Peter Camsol Jr., Tuba police chief, and Police Col. Lambert Suerte, Benguet police director, were reportedly relieved from their posts following Cabral’s death.
They were allegedly ordered relieved by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla over the mishandling of the case. (Zaldy Comanda)
