Maria Catalina E. Cabral, former Undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), was found unconscious Thursday evening, December 18, after allegedly falling from a cliff along Kennon Road, according to police reports.
The Benguet Provincial Police Office (PPO) stated that around 3:00 PM, Cabral and her driver, Ricardo Munos Hernandez, were en route to La Union when she requested to be dropped off at Maramaral, Camp 5. Hernandez then proceeded to a nearby gas station, leaving Cabral at the roadside as instructed.
When Hernandez returned around 5:00 PM, Cabral was nowhere to be found. After searching for her at a hotel in Baguio City and returning to the area, he reported her missing to the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) at approximately 7:00 PM.
Around 8:00 PM, BCPO Station 8 located Cabral lying motionless near the Bued River—an estimated 20 to 30 meters below the highway. Responding officers reported she was unconscious and unresponsive at the scene.
Emergency responders from the Tuba Municipal Police Station, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) immediately launched a retrieval operation. Authorities also coordinated with the Benguet Provincial Forensic Unit to conduct a Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) to determine the exact circumstances and cause of the apparent fall.
Cabral previously served as Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership at DPWH, overseeing the department’s budget preparation, infrastructure planning, and public-private partnership (PPP) projects. She had been linked to allegations involving budget insertions and kickbacks tied to billion-peso flood control initiatives.
Investigations are ongoing. Authorities have not yet released an official determination on whether the incident was accidental, involved foul play, or resulted from other causes.
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