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Cathy Cabral

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Maria Catalina Cabral)

Cathy Cabral
Official portrait, 2021
Undersecretary for Planning and Public–Private Partnership of Department of Public Works and Highways
In office
November 10, 2014 – September 16, 2025
PresidentBenigno Aquino III
Rodrigo Duterte
Bongbong Marcos
Succeeded byNicasio A. Conti
Alternate Member of the Board of Directors of the National Irrigation Administration
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 22, 2017[1]
Personal details
BornMaria Catalina Estamo[2]
(1962-05-23)May 23, 1962
Manila, Philippines
DiedDecember 19, 2025(2025-12-19) (aged 63)
Tuba, Benguet, Philippines
SpouseCesar Cabral
Children2
Education
OccupationCivil engineer, public administrator
ProfessionCivil engineer

Maria Catalina "Cathy" Estamo Cabral (May 23, 1962 – December 19, 2025) was a Filipino civil engineer and government official who served as undersecretary for planning and public–private partnership at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2014 to 2025. Cabral became the first woman from the department's rank-and-file workforce to be appointed as an undersecretary.

Cabral began her career at the Department of Public Works and Highways as a civil engineering aide before becoming undersecretary for planning and public–private partnership in 2014. Outside the department, she led professional engineering organizations, including the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines. In 2021, the Professional Regulation Commission recognized her as the Outstanding Professional of the Year in Civil Engineering, and the following year she received the TOFIL Award for Government and Public Service.

In 2025, Cabral came under scrutiny over allegations of budget irregularities involving the proposed 2026 national budget and a possible kickback scheme linked to public infrastructure projects. She resigned from DPWH on September 14 and died in Benguet on December 19.

Education

[edit]

Cabral attended Holy Trinity Academy, where she completed her elementary and secondary education from 1969 to 1979.[3] She obtained a degree in civil engineering from the University of the East,[4] and pursued graduate studies at Manuel L. Quezon University, followed by doctoral studies in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Philippines. Cabral pursued additional academic training at the Lyceum of the Philippines University in 2007 and the University of Asia and the Pacific in 2015.[3] She also attended executive programs at the Mohamed bin Zayed University, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Wharton School.[5][6]

Career

[edit]
Cabral speaking at the APEC Ministerial Meeting in 2015

Cabral joined the Department of Public Works and Highways as a civil engineering aide. After obtaining her engineering license, she advanced through a series of technical and administrative positions. In 2011, while serving as Assistant Secretary for Planning, she participated in a meeting with Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Regional Development Council chairpersons to finalize the inclusion of an initial ₱500 million allocation for Albay's flood control project in the proposed 2012 National Expenditure Program.[7]

In November 2014, Cabral was appointed undersecretary for planning and public-private partnership.[8] She supervised infrastructure planning, programming, and public–private partnership initiatives and remained in office under multiple DPWH secretaries.[9] In 2017, she also served as an alternate member of the National Irrigation Administration Board of Directors.[1][8] Cabral held leadership roles in professional engineering organizations, serving as national president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) before becoming president of the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines from 2019 to 2021.[10] Cabral held the position of Professional Chair in Engineering Science and Technology at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She also served as a commissioned officer in the Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Philippine Army.[11]

In 2023, Cabral served as chairperson of the DPWH's Gender and Development Focal Point System, where she helped oversee the department's gender mainstreaming programs. In the same year, she represented the department in receiving two GADtimpala awards from the Philippine Commission on Women.[12] According to DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, Cabral developed the Baselined, Balanced and Managed (BBM) Parametric Formula, which was first used to compute the department's budget for the 2023 General Appropriations Act under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos.[13]

Controversy

[edit]

In 2025, Cabral became involved in a scandal of supposed budget irregularities and a kickback system tied to public infrastructure projects. Reports linked her to the inclusion of projects favored by certain lawmakers into the 2026 government budget, which led to her being investigated by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.[14][15] During hearings, some officials questioned inconsistencies in her statements, and former DPWH officials alleged that she played a key role in determining which projects were included and that some funds may have been diverted as kickbacks.[16] On September 7, Senator Panfilo Lacson alleged that Cabral communicated with the office of Senator Tito Sotto following the 2025 Philippine general election concerning proposals for inclusion in the 2026 national budget.[17]

Cabral resigned on September 16, 2025, which was accepted by the Secretary of DPWH Vince Dizon on September 16.[18] Despite stepping down, she was later summoned to attend Senate hearings as a private citizen to answer further questions about the alleged irregularities.[19][14] On December 24, documents that Cabral had allegedly shared prior to her death were made public by Batangas Representative Leandro Leviste. The files, which were claimed to have been compiled by Cabral in the latter part of 2025, included alleged budget information and project allocation of DPWH within different legislative districts from 2023 to 2026. Following the release of the documents, questions were raised by Leviste, the DPWH, and the Office of the Ombudsman regarding their authenticity and how they had been obtained.[20]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Cabral had two siblings and was raised by their widowed mother.[3] She was married to Cesar Cabral, and they had two daughters.[21]

On December 18, 2025, Cabral was found near the Bued River along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, and was declared dead shortly after midnight on December 19.[22][23] According to Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Cabral had been traveling with her driver that day and twice asked to be dropped off along Kennon Road before she was reported missing.[24] Cabral was recovered from the side of the Bued River, approximately 20 to 30 meters (66 to 98 ft) below the highway, by police and emergency responders.[25] The Benguet Provincial Police and the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the preservation of her mobile phone and other personal devices for forensic examination.[26]

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said that, pending autopsy results and witness interviews, those who had been with Cabral before her death were considered persons of interest, although suicide was not initially viewed as the leading possibility.[27] On December 20, the initial autopsy found that Cabral had died from blunt force trauma, including multiple fractures to her face and feet.[28] On December 22, Remulla said that the available evidence indicated that she had died by suicide.[29][30]

In January 2026, Cabral's lawyer Mae Divinagracia, said that Cabral had attempted suicide twice at her home while she was under investigation over alleged irregularities in flood control projects. According to Divinagracia, the first attempt occurred shortly after Cabral was implicated during a Senate hearing, while the second took place before her death.[31]

Honors and recognition

[edit]
Cabral (left) beside President Bongbong Marcos during the Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award ceremony at Malacañang Palace in 2022.
  • GADtimpala 2018 Citation from the Philippine Commission on Women (2019)[32]
  • GREE Women in Engineering Award nominee (2019)[33]
  • Excellence Award from the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations (2020)[33]
  • PEZA Galing Pinas Ecozone Partnership Award (2021)[33]
  • Professional Regulation Commission Outstanding Professional of the Year in Civil Engineering (2021)[33]
  • United Nations Public Service Awards for Gender Equality nominee (2022)[33]
  • TOFIL Award for Government and Public Service (2022)[33]
  • Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council Achievement Award nominee (2022)[33]
  • Manila Times Global Excellence Award (2023)[33]
  • Brand Asia Award for Top Leader of Excellence in Humanitarian and Public Service (2023)[33]
  • Philippine Resilience Awards for Women (2023)[33]
  • Women's International Network on Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) Award nominee (2024)[33]
  • Presidential GAWAD CES nominee (2024)[33]
  • Circle of Excellence Awardee ASIA-CEO Woman of the Year (2024)[33]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Board of Directors Profile" (PDF). National Irrigation Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Cabral and her dedication to infrastructure development". The Manila Times. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Stellar rise in DPWH, mysterious fall amid graft probe". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 20, 2025. Archived from the original on January 4, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ Peña, Kurt Dela (December 19, 2025). "Who was Cathy Cabral, former DPWH official who died in alleged fall?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 4, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Profile of Usec. Maria Catalina E. Cabral, Ph.D." (PDF). National Irrigation Administration. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Cabral and her dedication to infrastructure development". The Manila Times. May 4, 2023. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Albay gets P500M for flood control". The Manila Times. November 11, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Who was ex-DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral?". GMA News Online. December 19, 2025. Archived from the original on March 11, 2026. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Good Soldier' Gone Rogue? DPWH USec Maria Catalina Cabral Tagged In 2025 Budget Controversy". Politiko. September 7, 2025. Archived from the original on September 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ Baclig, Cristina Eloisa (December 19, 2026). "What Cabral knew and the questions she leaves behind". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 25, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ Bolledo, Jairo (December 19, 2025). "Revisiting Cathy Cabral's alleged role in DPWH corruption". Rappler. Archived from the original on February 4, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  12. ↑ Leon, Susan De (August 15, 2023). "PCW confers DPWH with 2 GAD awards". Philippine Information Agency. Archived from the original on August 2, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  13. ↑ Latoza, Guinevere (November 29, 2025). "'Allocables' are the new pork and Sandro Marcos and Martin Romualdez are the pork barrel kings". Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Archived from the original on January 1, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Cruz, James Patrick (September 18, 2025). "DPWH usec Cathy Cabral resigns amid budget controversy". Rappler. Archived from the original on January 6, 2026. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Gone But Not Cleared: Ex-DPWH Usec Cabral Summoned Over Budget Insertions". Politiko. September 18, 2025. Archived from the original on December 24, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  16. ↑ Taguines, Andrea (September 8, 2025). "Dizon says DPWH usec Cabral refutes link to 2026 budget insertion". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  17. ↑ Serquiña, Mariel Celine (September 7, 2025). "Lacson: DPWH official approached a senator for budget insertions". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ "DPWH files from Cabral link lawmakers, gov't execs to budget insertions—Leviste". GMA News Online. December 21, 2025. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  19. ↑ Taguines, Andrea (October 10, 2025). "Conti replaces ex-DPWH usec Cabral". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  20. ↑ Cabalza, Dexter; Cabato, Luisa (December 29, 2025). "Palace to probe authenticity of 'Cabral files' in Leviste's hands". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  21. ↑ Lim, Melanie T. (December 20, 2025). "Lim: What happened to Cabral?". SunStar. Archived from the original on August 2, 2026. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Ex-DPWH usec Catalina Cabral found dead in Benguet". The Philippine Star. December 19, 2025. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Ex-DPWH exec Cabral dies after alleged fall into Benguet ravine". SunStar. December 19, 2025. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  24. ↑ Bolledo, Jairo (December 19, 2025). "What happened before and after Cathy Cabral's death in Benguet". Rappler. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Before the fall: Cathy Cabral's alleged attempt before Senate hearing surfaces". Politiko. December 19, 2025. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  26. ↑ Reyes, Dempsey (December 19, 2025). "Ombudsman tells Benguet authorities to preserve Cabral's gadgets". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  27. ↑ Ordoñez, JV. "Who was Ex-DPWH Undersecretary Cabral and Why Does Her Death Matter?". Esquire Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  28. ↑ Uson, Melanie. "Cathy Cabral's initial autopsy report released". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  29. ↑ Mendoza, John Eric (December 21, 2025). "Evidence shows suicide in Cabral's death – PNP". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2026. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  30. ↑ Abanto, Rowegie; De Guzman, Karen (December 22, 2025). "DILG on Cathy Cabral's death: All signs point to suicide". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  31. ↑ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico; Clores, Keith (January 6, 2026). "Cabral attempted suicide twice at home, says lawyer". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  32. ↑ "GENDER RESPONSIVE AGENCY". Department of Public Works and Highways. August 15, 2019. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "KILALANIN: Si dating DPWH Usec. Catalina Cabral" [MEET: Former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral]. Manila Bulletin. December 19, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cathy_Cabral&oldid=1368378675"