The lifeless body of a high-ranking government official was discovered at the bottom of a deep ravine in Benguet on Friday, December 19, 2025, casting a shadow of mystery over her sudden demise.
A Distinguished Career Cut Short
Maria Catalina “Cathy” E. Cabral, born on May 23, 1962, was a licensed engineer who dedicated 40 years of service to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Her academic and professional credentials were exceptional, holding three master's degrees and two doctorate degrees. She was a multi-awarded official who broke barriers twice: first, as the pioneering female rank-and-file employee to rise to the position of Undersecretary at the DPWH, and second, as the first female President of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers from 2017 to 2018.
In her role as Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership (PPP), Cabral was at the helm of the department's critical infrastructure planning and the implementation of multi-billion peso PPP projects.
The Mysterious Circumstances of Her Death
According to her driver, Cardo Hernandez, Cabral traveled to Baguio on Thursday, December 18, to unwind. The following morning, while passing along Kennon Road at Camp 4 in Tuba, Benguet, Cabral asked to stop so she could sit by the roadside near a ravine. They were flagged by traffic enforcers as it was a no-stopping zone, so they proceeded to Baguio to check into their hotel.
In the afternoon, Cabral reportedly asked to be driven back to the exact same spot along Kennon Road. This time, she instructed Hernandez to drop her off and return for her later. After about an hour, the driver returned but could not find her. He checked the hotel and, when she was not there, sought police assistance as darkness fell. The police subsequently located her body at the bottom of the 40-meter-deep ravine.
Mounting Questions and Suspicious Details
The death of Undersecretary Cabral is shrouded in suspicion for several compelling reasons. Firstly, she was a central figure in the multi-billion peso flood control corruption scandals that were unearthed earlier in the year. Secondly, the details of her final hours are highly unusual.
Why would someone with a known fear of heights, as she stated in a TV interview six years ago, insist on being left alone by a deep ravine to “enjoy the breeze”? Furthermore, when the driver could not find her, his immediate thought was to look down the ravine, suggesting he suspected a fall. He claimed she was in high spirits, yet he contacted the police immediately instead of trying her family first.
Adding to the mystery, a news outlet reported that Cabral had previously attempted to take her own life after being implicated in the scandal, which was why her two daughters were staying with her. This raises the question of why she was allowed to travel to Baguio alone. The retrieval of the body also took an unusually long five hours, despite the area not being remote and local responders being trained for such operations. The ravines in Tuba, Benguet, have a notorious history as dumping grounds for victims of summary executions.
Her husband, Cesar Cabral, maintains she died in a tragic accident and has resisted calls for an autopsy and DNA confirmation of the body's identity. This resistance has only fueled further speculation about what truly happened to Maria Catalina Cabral on that fateful day along Kennon Road.
