Rowegie Abanto

The Blue Ribbon Committee resumed its inquiry on anomalous flood control projects on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Voltaire F. Domingo/JBV/Senate Social Media Unit/Facebook



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Karen De Guzman

ABS-CBN News

<div><em>TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.</em></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-kj7Jsvi8_c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government on Monday said that the authorities&#x27; investigation so far signified that former public works undersecretary Maria Catalina &quot;Cathy&quot; Cabral died by suicide.</p><p>Cabral, one of the former Department of Public Works and Highways executives embroiled in the flood control corruption scandal, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/18/former-dpwh-usec-cabral-found-unconscious-after-falling-from-benguet-cliff-police-say-2355">was found dead on Thursday night after allegedly falling from a cliff </a>along Kennon Road in Tuba town in Benguet.</p><p>&quot;All signs point to suicide,&quot; DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla told ANC.</p><p>Remulla said that autopsy findings on the remains of Cabral showed she died of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/20/autopsy-showed-cabral-died-of-blunt-force-trauma-remulla-1609">blunt force trauma.</a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/19/who-was-catalina-cabral-and-how-could-her-death-affect-flood-control-probe-1455">Who was Cathy Cabral, and how could her death affect flood control probe?</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NO ESCAPE FROM RESTITUTION&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Cabral was believed to be instrumental in an alleged kickback scheme in the flood control scandal in which she also supposedly benefited from because of her crucial position in the agency.</p><p>Cabral, 63, whose public works career spanned more than 40 years, was appointed undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership in 2014.</p><p>She resigned from the post this year after she was implicated in the infrastructure corruption.</p><p>Asked if the government would still go after her allegedly unlawfully acquired wealth, Remulla said, &quot;There is no escape from her restitution despite her death.&quot;</p><p>&quot;They will still investigate the money trail, they will investigate the owner or the beneficial owner of the properties. If it is proven to be of ill-gotten wealth, then they will acquire the properties via civil [forfeiture],&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/20/remulla-confirms-viral-selfie-of-cathy-cabral-s-driver-1710">Remulla confirms viral selfie of Cathy Cabral&#x27;s driver</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/19/cabral-included-in-plunder-case-set-to-be-referred-to-ombudsman-1750">Cabral included in plunder case set to be referred to Ombudsman</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>PNP: SUICIDE ANGLE NOT FINAL </strong></div><div> </div><p>The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday stressed that it has not closed the investigation on Cabral’s death. </p><p>Acting PNP chief Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said investigators were still completing a thorough review of all evidence before making any final determination.</p><p>“The pieces of evidence that were gathered show that there is suicide, pero hindi pa natin masabi,” Nartatez said. </p><p>“Let the investigators makumpleto ‘yung kanilang investigation—comparing every pieces of evidence, every statement and every footages, pati itong mga forensics, ma-correlate lahat,” he added. </p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:495px;height:279px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2002934852799353298&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-12-22T03%3A57%3A27.245986%3A32264f15-1f87-4de2-96ae-6ce0c563a28b%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=a31320d198f0fe0256bf8c80b1aa719bdbe5310c&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="2002934852799353298"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Nartatez clarified that no one had been cleared from the investigation, including the driver linked to the case.</p><p>“Lahat ng mga personalities, lahat ng mga ebedensya na nandun ay isa-subject natin sa investigation and the driver will be subjected to investigation. That&#x27;s why persons of interest. Unless mai-clear na natin. We don&#x27;t like to speculate,” he said.</p><p>The PNP chief also flagged alleged lapses by the chief of police in Tuba, Benguet, who have since been relieved from his post, citing concerns over how the scene was handled.</p><p>Nartatez questioned why certain personal items were released immediately and why the room occupied by Cabral was not promptly secured and cordoned off.</p><p>“Alam niya, the personality is, former government official. Why would they release ‘yung mga items agad-agad? ‘Yung room that they have occupied, bakit hindi nila pinuntahan? So, kailangan pa bang mag-relief or kailangan pa bang sabihan sila?” he said, stressing that such procedures should already be standard practice for police officers.</p><p>The PNP assured the public that it was closely coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), with all units examining all possible angles in the case. </p><div><iframe width="725" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tAGqWbekxqE" title="&#x27;Blunt force trauma&#x27;: Remulla idinetalye ang autopsy ni Cabral | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <iframe width="827" height="465" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4evaMIGBAM" title="BALIKAN: Paggisa kay Cabral ng House tricomm tungkol sa alokasyon ng DPWH budget | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The interior chief on Monday said that the authorities' investigation so far signifies that former public works undersecretary Maria Catalina "Cathy" Cabral died by suicide.</p>

The interior chief on Monday said that the authorities' investigation so far signifies that former public works undersecretary Maria Catalina "Cathy" Cabral died by suicide.

DILG on Cathy Cabral's death: 'All signs point to suicide'

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DILG on Cathy Cabral's death: 'All signs point to suicide'

Rowegie Abanto,

Karen De Guzman,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 22, 2025 09:37 AM PHT

|

Updated December 22, 2025 01:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Maria Catalina Cabral

Cathy Cabral

Flood Control

Flood Control Scandal

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