Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Catalina Cabral had already spoken with at least five Ombudsman prosecutors prior to her death, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said.
Clavano made the disclosure as he assured the public that evidence already obtained from Cabral, as well as those still in her possession, can still be secured by government prosecutors.
“To preserve the integrity of our investigation, including our leads, I cannot give names or specifics, pero ‘yung kausap po niya doon ay mga investigators from the different fact-finding bodies that are assigned to the different cases,” Clavano said during a press conference.
“Marami po ‘yan. I believe there were at least five prosecutors that she was talking to, asking her about different cases where she was involved,” he added.
Benguet police earlier confirmed Cabral’s death after an alleged fall. Authorities said she was found unconscious and unresponsive some 20 to 30 meters below a highway, hours after she reportedly asked her driver to leave her at a portion of Kennon Road.
Clavano said Cabral’s long career in government, where she rose through the ranks, gave her extensive knowledge of internal processes, making her role significant in the alleged flood control fund irregularities.
“Sa kanya kasi ‘yung sistema dahil napakataas siyang opisyal ng DPWH. A lot of the cases we are dealing with ngayon, meron talaga siyang kinalaman dahil siya ang nag-insert, siya ang naglagay sa NEP. ‘Yun po ‘yung mga allegations na laban sa kanya,” Clavano said, referring to the National Expenditure Program.
Senator Panfilo Lacson had earlier alleged that Cabral called then Senate President Tito Sotto to ask him to recommend budget insertions while the DPWH was still preparing its proposed budget.
According to Clavano, Cabral’s alleged communication with Sotto prior to the submission of the budget to Congress already links her to the flood control fund controversy.
“That call is already indicative of the system that she was a part of,” he said.
When asked whether prosecutors had already established criminal liability on Cabral’s part, Clavano replied, “Definitely. Meron talaga siya. So it was just a matter of time before we were able to file those cases.”
“Kaya kinakausap na rin siya so that we could see what information she also had,” he added.
In the same press briefing, Clavano dismissed claims that Cabral’s death was a result of a slow-paced investigation and prosecution of those allegedly involved in the misuse of flood control funds.
“I beg to differ from the assumption that the investigation is slow. We are still doing our best to make things move even faster. But a lot has happened already from the start of this investigation,” Clavano said, noting that two cases have already been filed within two months.
These include malversation and graft charges against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and 16 others before the Sandiganbayan over a P289-million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro, as well as similar charges against contractor Sarah Discaya and others before the Digos City Regional Trial Court over a P96.5-million alleged ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental.
“We first picked the low-hanging fruits. We’d rather do that than wait for the big cases and nothing gets filed right away,” Clavano said, adding that investigations into other allegations are ongoing.
Clavano said building cases against those who allegedly operate behind the scenes takes time due to the nature of the evidence involved.
“Apart from documents, we are looking for CCTV footage, screenshots of messages, and call logs because the proponents hide their tracks,” he said. “This investigation is moving as fast as we can, and we are confident that when we do file cases, they will be strong cases.”
