NBI: Lie detector test an option for Cabral’s driver amid probe

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide in the story

MANILA, Philippines — Former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral’s driver may be subjected to a lie detector test or polygraph test if investigators are not convinced by his statements, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday.

In a text message to INQUIRER, NBI spokesperson Atty. Palmer Mallari said that the lie detector test could be an option for Cabral’s driver, Ricardo Muños Hernandez, adding that it is “a proven investigative tool.”

READ: Remulla clears Cabral’s driver, raises ‘red flags’ vs husband 

“If the investigators are not convinced, it is an option to subject someone to polygraph examination, a proven investigative tool, even if it is inadmissible as evidence,” Mallari said.

But the NBI official clarified that the test is “not necessarily applicable to Hernandez.”

He likewise noted that if the polygraph test were to be pushed through, Hernandez must be willing to do it and be informed by his legal counsel.

READ: DILG Chief, PNP: Cabral’s death suggests suicide

It was last December 18 when Cabral was found lifeless after her fall into a deep ravine at Purok Maramal, Sitio Camp 5 in Barangay Camp 4 in Benguet’s Tuba town.

Following the incident, Hernandez underwent questioning and was said to be considered a person of interest, as he drove for Cabral that day.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, meanwhile, earlier said that after an extensive interview with the driver and analysis on his cell phone, “he seems to be clear and clean of everything — as of now.”

Remulla cited dashcam footage, which showed Cabral sitting on a ledge around 10 a.m. on December 18. It was around the same time when police spotted her car and told Hernandez to move the vehicle out of the area.

The former DPWH undersecretary returned to the Ion Hotel in Baguio City at 11 a.m., then asked the driver to take her back to Kennon Road. She later on told Hernandez to leave her, and so the latter went to a nearby fueling station to gas up.

As Hernandez came back, Cabral was no longer in the area. She was also not at the hotel when he returned around 4 p.m. 

Hernandez reported to the police after about an hour. Later that night, they found Cabral’s body in the ravine.

Remulla earlier said the evidence gathered by police investigators so far leads to the possibility that Cabral died by suicide. /das