Cathy Cabral

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 (PPP) at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2014 until her resignation in 2025. She was recognized as the first female rank-and-file employee to rise to the position of undersecretary within the department.^[2] She has been described as a "model" for women in infrastructure for her contributions to the public works and engineering sector.^[3]

Maria Catalina Estamo Cabral was born on May 23, 1962, in Manila, Philippines.^[4] She completed her primary and secondary education at Holy Trinity Academy from 1969 to 1979, according to records published by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).^[5]

Cabral earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of the East in 1984 and became a licensed civil engineer shortly thereafter. She later pursued graduate and postgraduate studies in business, economics, and public administration, earning a Master of Business Administration from Manuel L. Quezon University in 1993, a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management in 1998, and a Doctor in Public Administration in 2001.^[5] She subsequently obtained a Master of Economics from the Lyceum of the Philippines University in 2007 and a Master's degree in Strategic Business Economics from the University of Asia and the Pacific in 2015. Cabral also completed executive and professional certification programs at the Wharton School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Mohamed bin Zayed University, focusing on data analytics, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence.^[6][5]

Cabral began her career at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as a Civil Engineering Aide while completing her degree, entering the agency as a rank‑and‑file employee and working as a working student, before rising through the department's ranks over several decades. After passing the civil engineering licensure examination, she received progressively senior assignments and leadership responsibilities within DPWH, eventually being appointed Undersecretary for Planning and Public‑Private Partnership in November 2014, where she oversaw national infrastructure planning, programming, and public‑private partnership (PPP) initiatives implemented by the department.^[3] During her tenure she was retained through multiple leadership changes under successive DPWH secretaries.^[7] She also served as an alternate member of the board of directors of the National Irrigation Administration.^[3]

In addition to her roles within DPWH, Cabral broke new ground in the civil engineering profession as the first female national president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) and later as the national president of the Road Engineering Association of the Philippines.^[3] She later held the Professional Chair in Engineering Science and Technology at the University of the Philippines in 2021.^[2] She was also a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Force, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Philippine Army.^[5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cabral was publicly acknowledged for her involvement in charitable activities. In May 2020, the Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital in Manila acknowledged Cabral and her daughter, Gabe Cabral, for donating seven boxes equivalent to 336 cans of food supplies to hospital frontliners.^[5]

In 2025, Cabral became involved in a controversy over alleged irregular budget insertions and a possible kickback system linked to public infrastructure projects. Reports indicated that she may have facilitated the inclusion of lawmakers' preferred projects in the proposed 2026 national budget, prompting scrutiny from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.^[8][9] 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.^[10] On September 7, Senator Panfilo Lacson alleged that Cabral had contacted staff members of Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III shortly after the May 2025 elections, purportedly asking which budget items they wanted included in the proposed 2026 national budget.^[5]

Amid the growing scrutiny, Cabral submitted her resignation on September 14, 2025, which was accepted by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon on September 16. Despite stepping down, she was later summoned to attend Senate hearings as a private citizen to answer further questions about the alleged irregularities.^[11][8]

Cabral was married to Cesar Cabral, and they have one daughter.^[5]

On December 18, 2025, Cabral was found unconscious and unresponsive near the Bued River along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet. She was later declared dead by attending physicians shortly after midnight on December 19.^[12][13]

According to Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who chairs the Cordillera Administrative Region's Regional Peace and Order Council, Cabral had been traveling with her driver, Ricardio Hernandez, earlier that day en route to Baguio when she asked to be dropped off along Kennon Road. Hernandez complied, but police personnel advised them that stopping was not permitted in the area. The two then proceeded to Baguio and checked into a hotel.^[14]

Cabral and her driver were on their way to La Union at around 3:00 p.m. PHT, when they made a stopover along Kennon Road, where Cabral requested to be left alone.^[15] Later that afternoon, at approximately the same time, they again traveled along Kennon Road, during which Cabral asked to be dropped off a second time, this time near Camp 4. Hernandez left her at the site and returned at approximately 5:00 p.m. to pick her up, but she was no longer there. After searching the surrounding area without success, he returned to their hotel to check if she had gone back on her own. When she was not found there, Hernandez made another attempt to search the area at around 7:00 p.m., again without success.^[14] Hernandez subsequently reported the incident to Baguio Police. At around 8:00 p.m., authorities located Cabral at the side of the Bued River, approximately 20 to 30 meters (66 to 98 ft) below the highway.^[16] She was unconscious and unresponsive at the time. Tuba Police, emergency services, and the Bureau of Fire Protection retrieved her body from the site shortly before midnight. She was pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. on December 19.^[14]

Authorities launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding her death. The Benguet Provincial Police and the Office of the Ombudsman directed local authorities to preserve Cabral's mobile phone and other personal devices for forensic examination.^[17][18] Police officials stated that the area was being examined for possible signs of foul play, although no definitive cause of death was immediately confirmed.^[19] Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla stated that, pending the results of the autopsy and the completion of witness interviews, all individuals who had been with Cabral prior to her death were being considered persons of interest under the agency's initial investigation. He added that investigators considered suicide to be an unlikely scenario.^[20] On December 20, authorities said that initial findings showed Cabral had died from blunt force trauma. They reported that she suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to her face and feet.^[15] On December 22, Remulla confirmed that she had committed suicide.^[21]

Cabral received several professional honors, including the PEZA Galing Pinas Ecozone Partnership Award (2021), the Excellence Award (2020), and the Professional Regulation Commission Outstanding Professional of the Year in Civil Engineering (2021). She was also nominated for international recognitions, such as the GREE Women in Engineering Award (2019), the United Nations Public Service Awards for Gender Equality (2022), and the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council Achievement Award (2022). In addition, she was recognized by various award-giving bodies, including the Brand Asia Award as Top Leader of Excellence in Humanitarian and Public Service (2023), the Philippine Resilience Awards for Women (2023), and the Circle of Excellence Award as Woman of the Year (2024).^[3][6]

• Cathy Cabral – DPWH Undersecretary – Editorial opinion from E-CLIPS, Senate of the Philippines