Senate insists resigned DPWH Cabral to face hearings

Senator Rodante Marcoleta, ex-Senate Blue Ribbon chair, on September 18 sought a subpoena for former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to appear in the inquiry into alleged budget insertions, despite her recent resignation.

Marcoleta’s motion was seconded by Senator Erwin Tulfo and formally approved by committee chair Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, ordering Cabral to be present in the panel’s next hearing.

Cabral was absent despite being invited to the recent Blue Ribbon committee probe into anomalous flood projects, where she was implicated, but had apparently informed the panel of her resignation.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that Cabral submitted her courtesy resignation on September 14.

“I think she wrote a letter, she informed me by a message late last night that she had written the committee to inform the committee of the acceptance of her courtesy resignation and thus requested not to attend [the Senate inquiry],” Dizon said.

According to Dizon, Cabral must still attend the hearings if summoned, even as a private citizen.

“But of course even if she’s now just a private citizen and no longer part of the DPWH, I‘m sure if the committee will require her to attend, she still must attend but now no longer as an official of DPWH but as a private citizen,” he added.

Marcoleta stressed that Cabral’s resignation cannot excuse her from accountability, especially since there are “personal questions” to be clarified.

“I don’t think her resignation will shield her from her responsibility. There are personal questions that we need to ask her. More particularly, Mr. Chair [Sen. Lacson], your own exposé, I still recall in your last privilege speech, her text message to Senator Sotto is very damning,” Marcoleta said.

Marcoleta was referring to the revelation that a staff of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III allegedly received a call from Cabral, asking to make an insertion in the 2026 National Expenditure Program, which Sotto confirmed.

“Kahit na mag-resign po siya, it will not matter to us,” Marcoleta emphasized.

Meanwhile, Dizon said the DPWH will continue its internal investigation amid allegations of overpricing, ghost projects nationwide, and undue concentration of public works funding.

According to the DPWH website, Cabral is the “first female rank-and-file employee” to have served as undersecretary, overseeing infrastructure planning and programming, as well as the department’s public-private partnership projects.