EMBATTLED former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Catalina Cabral was dead after allegedly falling off a ravine along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet.
In a report, the Benguet Police Provincial Office said Cabral’s driver sought for assistance around 7 p.m. Thursday, December 18, 2025, after he failed to find her in the area where she asked to be left alone in Barangay Camp 4 around 3 p.m.
“The victim dismissed the driver, who then proceeded to a nearby Milo Gasoline Station. According to the driver’s statement, he returned to the victim at about 5 p.m. but failed to see her and searched the area of the incident,” the police said.
“Unable to locate her, the driver went to the supposed Ion Hotel in Baguio City, thinking she had gone there, but again failed to find her. At about 7 p.m. on the same date, the driver returned to the scene of the incident to search for the victim but still failed to find her, so he went to Viewdeck Station 8, BCPO, to report the matter,” it added.
Police, along with Cabral’s driver, found her “unconscious and unresponsive” body beside the Bued River, more or less 20 to 30 meters below the Kennon highway.
Personnel of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management council were tapped to retrieve Cabral’s body.
Cabral was declared dead at 12:03 a.m. Friday, December 19, 2025.
Investigation on the incident is ongoing.
In a statement, the DPWH expressed condolences to the family of Cabral.
“Undersecretary Cabral served the department for more than 40 years, and her loss will be mourned throughout the organization. We recognize the profound loss the family is facing and offer our sincerest prayers,” it said.
“The department urges everyone to respect the family's need for privacy as they mourn and come to terms with the sudden loss. We thank you for your compassion and understanding,” it added.
Cabral was a licensed civil engineer with an extensive academic background, including two doctorate degrees in Business Management and Public Administration and in Urban and Regional Planning.
She made history as the first female rank-and-file employee to be promoted to undersecretary at the DPWH and the first female president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (Pice) and later led the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines.
Cabral became a key figure in investigations on alleged irregularities in the flood control projects linked to budget insertions and possible kickbacks.
She was summoned by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and other investigatory bodies over alleged budget insertion activities and flood control project anomalies.
She was among the former DPWH officials who were recommended to be charged with graft and malversation in relation to the flood control mess.
Cabral submitted her resignation from the DPWH in September 2025, and it was accepted by the department’s leadership. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)