FORMER Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral on Thursday night was found dead after she allegedly fell into a ravine on Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet.
An investigation showed Cabral left Baguio City Thursday afternoon with her driver, Ricardio Hernandez, 56, and was traveling toward the lowlands.
While along Kennon Road, Cabral reportedly asked the driver to stop the vehicle and leave her alone at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Hernandez told police that when he returned to the area in Purok Maramal, Sitio Camp 5 in Bgy. Camp 4 in Tuba at around 5 p.m. of the same day, Cabral was no longer there.
Unable to locate Cabral, the driver went back to the hotel in Baguio City where the former DPWH official had been staying.
The driver later reported the incident to Baguio City Police Station 8, which immediately coordinated with the Tuba police and the local disaster risk reduction office.
Around 8 p.m., Cabral was found unconscious and unresponsive on Bued River, which is estimated to be 20 to 30 meters below the highway.
She was rushed to the Benguet General Hospital and Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. Friday.
Cabral was among those implicated in the flood control project anomalies.
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