Former DPWH Usec Cabral dies after alleged fall from Benguet cliff

MANILA, December 19 ------ Former Department of Public Works (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral has died after allegedly falling from a cliff along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, according to police. Her remains have been brought to a local funeral parlor, according to ABS-CBN News stringer Rhen De Guzman

According to a report from the Benguet Provincial Police Office, the incident was reported by Cabral’s driver. According to the driver, he and Cabral were travelling along Kennon Road towards La Union at around 3 p.m. when Cabral asked her driver to stop at Kennon Road and be left there. The driver then went to a nearby gasoline station. The driver then returned to the area at around 5 p.m. but failed to see Cabral. He then went back to the hotel where Cabral was staying, but she was also not there. He reported the incident to the police at around 7 p.m., and at around 8 p.m., Cabral was found unconscious and unresponsive at the side of Bued River, at least 20 meters below the highway.

Her remains have been brought to a local funeral parlor, according to ABS-CBN News stringer Rhen De Guzman. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, in a statement Thursday, said the Ombudsman’s office has ordered authorities in Benguet to take custody of and preserve the cellphone and other gadgets of Cabral. "The same is to be turned over to the investigators at the proper time," Clavano added.

Cabral was implicated in alleged budget insertions and kickbacks from multibillion-peso flood control projects. Cabral earlier denied allegations linking her to 2026 budget insertion, according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon. As Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership, Cabral was in charge of preparing the DPWH's budget and oversees infrastructure planning and programming, as well as the public-private partnership projects that the agency implements. She later resigned from her post.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com