Remulla clears Cabral’s driver, raises ‘red flags’ vs husband
Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide in the story
BOCAUE, Bulacan — Former Public Works undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral’s driver appears to be in the clear for now while her husband’s reaction raises “a lot of red flags,” Interior chief Jonvic Remulla said on Monday.
On December 18 (Thursday), Cabral was found lifeless in a deep ravine at Purok Maramal, Sitio Camp 5 in Barangay Camp 4 in Benguet’s Tuba town.
Cabral died after her fall in what authorities deem to be a suicide as “pointed” by all existing evidence, according to probers.
READ: Evidence shows ‘suicide’ in Cabral’s death – PNP
According to Remulla, dashcam footage showed Cabral sitting on the ledge at 10 a.m. before police instructed their car be moved.
She then went back to the hotel at 11 a.m. then asked her driver, Ricardo Muños Hernandez, to bring her to the same spot at 2 p.m.
Then, Cabral asked Hernandez to leave her in the area, prompting the driver to go to a gasoline station to pump gas.
But when Hernandez returned he did not find Cabral sitting in the ledge anymore, prompting him to look for her at the hotel at 4 p.m.
He reported the incident to police at 5 p.m. and Cabral’s body was found unresponsive on the ravine at around 8 p.m.
Police then said Hernandez underwent questioning and was considered to be a person of interest due to these circumstances.
READ: PNP to question driver in Cabral’s death
“He’s (Hernandez) been extensively interviewed, his cell phone is now being analyzed,” Remulla said in an ANC interview. “He seems to be clear and clean of everything — as of now.”
Hernandez’s selfie
Hernandez also took a selfie, which showed Cabral — who was wearing a light-colored shirt and denim pants — sitting on the concrete barrier behind him and her parked car, looking down at the bottom of the ravine.
The picture went viral on social media with users noting its strangeness.
But Remulla explained that the driver took the selfie to show off Cabral, who just told him some good news.
“[During their] conversation going to Baguio, she promised him to help him build a house, so he was very happy,” he said of the selfie’s backstory.
Husband’s ‘strange’ behavior
Her husband Cesar Cabral went to Baguio City after the incident to positively identify the body of his wife.
The husband also refused to have her remains autopsied, believing that her death was an accident, according to news reports.
Remulla noted that Cesar’s behavior was “kind of strange,” as the husband does not appear to be grief-stricken.
“He was very straight to the point, he was not crying,” Remulla said. “It raises a lot of red flags for us.”
“What we know is that their relationship has been strained a long time, but they’ve been living as man and wife, they’ve never separated,” he continued.
Cesar could not be immediately reached for comment.
Inquirer also sought the comment of Cabral’s legal counsel, Atty. Mae Divinagracia of the Co & Divinagracia Law Offices, for comment, but she has yet to respond as of posting.
Despite her husband’s objections, Cabral’s body underwent an autopsy.
Remulla said the autopsy indicated results consistent with blunt trauma force as a result of the fall, and no skin cells were found in Cabral’s fingernails.
Cabral’s body was turned over to her relatives late Saturday night, Philippine National Police Public Information Office chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said in a message to the Inquirer.
Hotel bares another connection?
Cabral, who resigned from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in September, had been linked to alleged irregularities in flood control and infrastructure projects but denied any involvement in kickback schemes.
The ravine she fell on was also near the site of a rockfall netting project which will soon be the subject of a criminal complaint to be filed by the DPWH.
The rock-netting materials there were supplied by a company owned by the brother of Benguet Rep. Eric Go Yap, according to Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Magalong also said full documentation about irregularities in the quality of work at Kennon Road and the source of the rock-netting devices had been transmitted to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure and DPWH chief Vince Dizon.
READ: Magalong: Cabral’s last stop a probed project site
Also, Remulla said the hotel Cabral stayed in before her death — which he said she owned until 2025 — was sold to Yap’s “best friend,” whom the official did not identify.
Ion Hotel, through its legal counsel Enrique dela Cruz Jr., denied any connection between the two, but Remulla dared them to show their records as to how they acquired the hotel, which he said would cost several hundred million pesos.
Pressed if he believes that Yap really owned the hotel, Remulla said: “That’s what we suspect.” /das
