The Christmas story is love

Love is at the heart of the Christmas story, even amidst tragedy.

- MARICHU A. VILLANUEVA

The tragic fate of the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral is not an isolated case. The cause of Cabral’s death is still not settled though as of this writing. Police forensic investigations are still ongoing to determine whether it was a suicide, an accident or murder at the worse. Before her death, Cabral was undersecretary for planning and public-private partnership (PPP) service of the DPWH.

There were at least two other incidents of suspicious deaths involving DPWH officials. These incidents took place separately, one after the other earlier this year.

A 30-year-old female DPWH engineer was shot dead in Dingras, Ilocos Norte in September this year. The gunman is yet to be identified and the motive of the killing remains unknown up to now.

In November, Larry Reyes, an administrative officer and longtime chairman of the bids and awards committee of the Sorsogon Ist District Engineering Office (DEO), died at his house. The DPWH subsequently denied reports that Reyes had died of suicide.

Notably, all three incidents happened a few weeks and months after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM). The President's midterm SONA opened literally the floodgate on the scandal of alleged “ghost” flood control projects rocking the DPWH.

It was in this SONA last July 28 when PBBM dished out the dirt: “Mahiya naman kayo.” It was directed at lawmakers who were among the audience during the joint opening session of the 20th Congress, where the President took the occasion to deplore the “badly-mangled” 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The President denounced the Congress-approved insertions, initiatives, errata that went into realignments of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by his administration.