Former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral surveyed the ravine along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, about an hour before she allegedly jumped to her death at the same spot, Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said in an online statement.
Remulla said Cabral asked her driver to stop at the area while they were on their way to Baguio. She reportedly walked toward the edge of the ravine and was seen by police officers, who reminded them that parking was prohibited. Cabral and her driver then left and proceeded to their hotel.
“Paakyat pa lang ng Baguio, pinatigil niya ang driver at the exact same spot. Tapos, naglalakad na siya papunta doon sa edge, nakita sila ng pulis, [sinabi] ‘bawal pumarada d’yan, umalis kayo’, then dumiretso na sila sa hotel,” Remulla said in the statement.
About an hour later, Cabral returned to the same location and allegedly jumped from the cliff.
Remulla said the ravine is around 30 meters high, comparable to a 10-story building, and that Cabral appeared to have deliberately chosen a spot where the impact would be fatal. He added that the seriousness of intent is measured by the lethality of the means.
The DILG chief said the autopsy showed Cabral died from blunt force trauma consistent with a fall from a great height. Her injuries included fractures to the face and head, broken ribs that penetrated internal organs, and fractured legs.
Remulla further stated that the investigators found no signs of foul play. There were no indications of struggle inside Cabral’s vehicle, no foreign skin cells under her fingernails, and no gunshot wounds.
He said all initial findings point to suicide, but authorities will continue to investigate to address public speculation and misinformation.
“The only way to counter itong mga conspiracy theories is to tell the truth, so hinahanap talaga namin ang katotohanan,” Remulla said.
Cabral was "unconcious and unresponsive" dead Thursday night, December 18 at a cliff along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet. She was proclaimed dead on early Friday.
On Saturday, authorities confirmed through DNA testing that the body found in the area is that of Cabral. The autopsy also showed she died from “blunt traumatic injury consistent with a fall.”
The former official had been involved in ongoing investigations into alleged budget insertions and ghost flood control projects involving national and local officials.
