Lawmakers, civil society: Will the truth die with Cabral?
Anticorruption advocates on Friday called on government investigating bodies to secure crucial evidence that could shed light on alleged graft-riddled flood control projects following the death of former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
This as several House members warned that the ongoing investigations could run into a dead end following the sudden death of a key figure in government infrastructure projects that are now under scrutiny.
“People implicated in her past declarations should be closely investigated,” professor David San Juan, national convenor of Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (Tama Na), said in a statement. “The masterminds of the flood control must be unmasked and all resource persons must be encouraged to tell all they know.”
Dead end
San Juan also urged the government, especially the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice, to accelerate its investigations and protect witnesses.
“What happened to her (Cabral) was tragic. She died before she was able to formally speak about everything she knew about flood control,” San Juan lamented.
At the House, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima warned against using her death as a roadblock to the various investigations and for “everything to be pinned on Cabral as the mastermind.”
“Amid the ongoing investigations into the massive corruption in which she has been implicated, her death invites great suspicion. The death of Cabral can benefit a lot of people,” De Lima said.
“The mastermind or masterminds and syndicates are also moving quickly to get away with the robbery, so those responsible should waste no time in finding and protecting evidence and holding everyone involved accountable,” she added.
Cabral, who was undersecretary for planning and public-private partnership (PPP), died shortly after midnight on Friday in Tuba, Benguet. Her death comes months after President Marcos ordered the investigations.
Former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo earlier linked her to alleged irregularities, claims that she had denied.
Raises questions
In a separate statement, Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña said Cabral’s death “raises serious questions.”
“Who will benefit most from her death? Will the truth die with her? Will she be the ‘fall guy’ in this grand corruption scandal?” Cendaña asked.
“In the interest of integrity and continuity of the investigations, we call for the immediate securing of all her relevant digital records. The government must further guarantee the safety of all witnesses, suspects, and persons of interest. We also urge that any ill-gotten wealth, if proven, be returned to public funds,” he added.
In another statement, the House’s Makabayan bloc said Cabral’s death cannot be separated from ongoing probes. “The circumstances of her death must be investigated and all evidence that may be in her possession, including electronic and documentary evidence, should be preserved,” it said.
List of proponents
On Dec. 3, or more than two weeks before her death, Cabral appeared before the Ombudsman to shed light on the alleged irregularities, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano disclosed on Friday.
Clavano said the undersecretary appeared to have already secured legal counsel and shared limited information at the time of her appearance.
“There are several information that have reached us that she has a list of these proponents and the projects. So this was the subject of an inquiry conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman,” Clavano said, adding that he was still awaiting a full report.
Cabral, he noted, expressed willingness to cooperate but first requested information on the allegations against her so her legal team could prepare.
“So what was talked about at that time was for her to know what charges were forthcoming so that she could strategize accordingly,” Clavano said, noting that the Ombudsman’s office was open to gradually gathering information as she became more comfortable with the process.
Under pressure
For professor Roland Simbulan, chair of the public policy Center for People’s Empowerment and Governance (CenPeg), Cabral may have been under pressure considering her knowledge on the scale of the corruption scandal.
“Of course, cases against her are still being built up to establish strong evidence but I am sure that the pressure on her was just too big for her to carry,” Simbulan told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
He pointed out that it was “too early” to determine the circumstances surrounding Cabral’s sudden demise, albeit “mysterious” for him.
However, Simbulan agreed that all devices in Cabral’s possession must be preserved by investigating bodies, particularly the Ombudsman.
“For the Ombudsman, it’s part of their mandate in collecting as much evidence as possible, including the documents that she (Cabral) have and her gadgets,” he said. “The Ombudsman has to know whom she interacted with and some of these people may be deeply involved.”
Simbulan urged the Ombudsman to extract all necessary information that may be obtained from Cabral’s gadgets, especially documents related to her work in the DPWH.
“I’m sure there are involved personalities in high places that are feeling nervous because of the possible evidence that may be acquired by investigators,” Simbulan said.
Day to grieve
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, presiding officer of the House infrastructure committee that invited Cabral and other former DPWH officials during its own flood control probe, said they sympathize with the bereaved relatives of Cabral.
He said it would be best to let Cabral’s family grieve for now, adding that the time for the infrastructure investigations—and an actual probe on her death—will eventually come.
“The day to talk about the consequences of her death and its implications to the ongoing investigations of flood control [issues] will come, but I think today is not that day. So let us just monitor all the additional reports coming out of Benguet, particularly regarding the circumstances of her death,” Ridon said
“Of course, that is separate from the flood control probe because we would want to know what really happened and what caused her death early this morning,” he added. —WITH REPORTS FROM DEMPSEY REYES, KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING, GABRIEL PABICO LALU, AND FAITH ARGOSINO
