The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Friday urged authorities to conduct a radical investigation into the sudden death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina E. Cabral, citing the potential for foul play.
In an announcement, the ICI said Ms. Cabral was one in every of the important thing figures in the continued probe into anomalous government infrastructure projects, noting that her former position as undersecretary for planning gave her access to critical information.
She was declared dead after being found unconscious and unresponsive around 20 to 30 meters below a highway following an alleged fall from a cliff along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, on Thursday night, in accordance with local police.
“Should authorities determine that there was foul play, it is feasible that those responsible can also be connected to the anomalous infrastructure projects,” the ICI said.
The three-month-old commission also called on law enforcement agencies to instantly secure and preserve all of Ms. Cabral’s documents, gadgets, and computers for a possible digital forensics examination.
It also prolonged its condolences to Ms. Cabral’s family and friends.
The DPWH likewise expressed its condolences to the family of its former official, noting that she had served the agency for greater than 40 years and that her loss can be mourned throughout the organization.
“We recognize the profound loss the family is facing and offer our sincerest prayers,” the DPWH said in an announcement.
Ms. Cabral was among the many DPWH undersecretaries earlier advisable by the ICI to face administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman in reference to the alleged “ghost” flood control project in Bulacan.
Ms. Cabral had earlier been invited by the ICI to attend its hearing on anomalous flood control projects on Monday, however the commission said she didn’t appear on the hearing.— Edg Adrian A. Eva