The Benguet Police confirmed the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral after she was found unconscious beside the Bued River along Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet on the evening of December 18, 2025.

According to the police investigation, the victim traveled with her driver to La Union at around 3:00 PM on Wednesday, December 18, 2025. Upon reaching a section of Kennon Road at Camp 5, Barangay Camp 4, Cabral reportedly asked her driver to leave her at the location.

The driver left and proceeded to a nearby gasoline station. When he returned at around 5:00 PM, Cabral was nowhere to be found.

The driver searched the surrounding area and Baguio City but failed to locate the former official.

At around 7:00 PM, after the incident was reported, authorities conducted a search operation and found the former official unconscious along the side of the Bued River, approximately 20 to 30 meters away from the highway.

Investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.