The Sorrowful Mystery of Cabral’s Death

By Carlos Hidalgo

First of all, my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of former Public Works Undersecretary Cathy Cabral. Nakakalungkot, magpapasko pa naman. May her soul rest in peace.

Authorities looking into the flood control mess are obviously distressed that a central figure in the ongoing case, the one in the best position to identify the other culprits behind one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals, is gone, taking to her grave the secrets that the public wanted so much to be brought out into the open. The crucial link to the officials, the senators and congressmen who gained from this deep-rooted cabal, the people who committed what Sen. Ping Lacson calls “the original sin,” is cut.

What happens to the investigation then? There are still the standing testimonies of former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and ex-officials of the Bulacan district engineering office, Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza. But without Cabral’s corroborating testimony, would their avowals stand up in court or be thrown out as mere hearsay?

Cabral’s sudden passing has raised a plethora of speculations, with Senator Kiko Pangilinan urging probers to ascertain the identity of the corpse found lying at the bottom of a cliff on Kennon Road in Benguet, implying that it could be an attempt to fake death and escape justice. There are also suggestions that Cabral could be a victim of foul play, considering that there are many people who would spare no effort to keep her mouth shut.

There’s that old video that resurfaced on social media after her death, an interview with a much younger Cabral, where she was asked what her biggest phobia was, and she readily answered, “Oh, heights.” Those who suspect foul play point to this reply to back up their conjecture: why would she choose to die in a manner that she dreaded most? But in the same interview, Cabral notes – several times, in fact – that she’s a very sensitive person. And that’s what’s more telling, I think.

Think of a woman who’s talented and ambitious. For 40 years, she diligently built her career in a government agency where she found her calling. It was a long, hard struggle to reach the peak of her profession. She devoted so much time and energy to learn the ins and outs of the bureaucracy. She achieved success and earned the respect and admiration of people around her. She had become a part of the system. Everything went well – until the rottenness of the system was exposed, and the walls started crumbling. What would she do? All the doors were closed. There was no escape. The narrative of her driver points to someone who had decided to accept her fate, even to the point of confronting her worst fear. There was no need to justify herself, to blame others for misdeeds. For her, it was the only way.

“The woman is perfected.
Her dead
Body wears the smile of accomplishment,
The illusion of a Greek necessity
Flows in the scrolls of her toga,
Her bare
Feet seem to be saying:
We have come so far, it is over.”

Hope something redemptive will come out of this sorry mess. Corruption is such a pernicious disease that it devours people who are otherwise good and caring. Glimmers of hope can be found in efforts to make the budget deliberations more transparent and to enact an anti-dynasty bill. Other countries were able to overhaul the system that breeds corruption. I think we can, too. Otherwise, corruption will simply continue to mutate into other forms, from pork barrel to Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and now to budget insertions. We are so much behind.