Lawyer: Six Boxes of Documents From Cathy Cabral’s Office Are Missing

Six boxes of official documents from the office of former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral are missing, according to her lawyer, amid the continuing controversy surrounding the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control scandal.

Atty. Mae Divinagracia said Cabral allegedly took her own life after being unable to bear what she believed was her role as a scapegoat in the controversy involving allocable funds now considered equivalent to pork barrel funds previously struck down by the Supreme Court.

Divinagracia said the pressure intensified shortly after a congressional hearing, when former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo implicated Cabral in the issue.

“I think this was just days after the hearing,” Divinagracia said. “That was the tipping point.”

According to the lawyer, Cabral was deeply hurt by her summary dismissal from the Department of Public Works and Highways, despite having served the agency for 40 years. The dismissal resulted in the loss of her retirement benefits.

“She felt that she was being used as a scapegoat for the men or the individuals who are really culpable or responsible for this flood control mess,” Divinagracia said.

Cabral reportedly wanted to defend herself in court rather than in the “court of public opinion” and was dismayed by claims portraying her as the alleged mastermind of the flood control scam, even though her office was focused solely on project planning.

Divinagracia said the six missing boxes of files have not been recovered and were not returned to Cabral’s home after her death.

“We don’t have them in our possession. The family does not know where they are,” she said. “The last time they checked the house, the boxes were not there.”

Cabral died on December 19, 2025, after jumping from a cliff in Tuba, Benguet. Her lawyer disclosed that prior to this, she had made earlier attempts to harm herself but was initially stopped by her daughter and later hospitalized due to injuries.