Vet the death, Pangilinan urges

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Friday urged Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla to verify the reported death of former DPWH undersecretary Catalina “Cathy” Cabral, who was earlier implicated in the alleged multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal.

Pangilinan said the government must ensure Cabral’s identity has been properly established, stressing that the magnitude of the public funds involved warrants due diligence from authorities.

“We do not wish to be insensitive if indeed death has been established but considering that billions of pesos are involved, we call on Sec. Jonvic Remulla to check and validate if the remains of former Usec. Cathy Cabral were properly identified by the authorities concerned,” Pangilinan said.

He also noted that there have been cases in the past where individuals allegedly faked their deaths to evade prosecution.

“Faking death to escape criminal liability for corruption has happened before,” he added.

Cabral was tagged in the alleged anomalous implementation of flood control projects in Bulacan, which are currently under investigation. She’s one of the more than 80 individuals that are set to face plunder charges as recommended by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

The former DPWH official was found dead after allegedly falling into a cliff along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet on Thursday, December 18. #