Cabral computer readied for forensic examination

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman is set to conduct a digital forensic examination on the hard drive of the computer of former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to determine the authenticity of the files supposedly detailing budget insertions for DPWH flood control projects.

In a video statement released yesterday, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the ombudsman had been approached by multiple sources claiming to have copies of the so-called Cabral files, wherein the supposed proponents of budget insertions for flood control projects were listed.

Clavano, however, said unauthenticated files from third parties do not have credibility, thus it is better to rely on original evidence obtained from the agency that had official custody of the evidence, in this case the DPWH.

“At present, the central processing unit or the CPU is now secured, sealed and under the custody of the Office of the Ombudsman, and the office considers this a critical development as it allows the investigation to proceed on the basis of an original digital piece of evidence,” Clavano said.

Cabral’s computer was turned over by the DPWH to the ombudsman last week following a subpoena.

Though no definite date has yet been set, Clavano gave assurance that the digital forensic examination “will be done transparently” together with the DPWH, Commission on Audit and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group. “This is to ensure the integrity of the whole process,” he said.

Clavano, however, stressed that the files to be obtained from Cabral’s computer shall only form part of the ombudsman’s ongoing investigation on the flood control scam, pointing out that instances of budget insertion alone cannot prove the criminal liability of the project proponents.

Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste released last week a portion of the files, which he claimed to have been given to him by Cabral before her death.

The files posted by Leviste on his Facebook account consist of 19 pages presenting the breakdown of the DPWH budget per region and per district, which includes the names of the project proponents under the P6.326-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) prepared in 2024 during the previous 19th Congress.

Included in the list were former House speaker and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez (P19.1 billion) and President Marcos’ son, Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos (P12.9 billion).

Clavano, in his video statement, said that “soft copies of documents held by third parties, especially those in the format of Word or Excel, inherently lose evidentiary credibility as they are susceptible to alteration, incomplete context or manipulation.”

“As such, these materials cannot, by themselves, be treated as conclusive evidence,” he said, apparently referring to the documents released by Leviste on social media.

Clavano also belied Leviste’s claim that the Cabral files under his possession have already been reviewed by the ombudsman. Clavano recounted that ombudsman investigators previously requested Leviste to submit the files in his possession, but he failed to do so.

“After Congressman Leandro Leviste publicly claimed to possess the complete list in the supposed Cabral files, investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman approached him as a matter of prudence and diligence while the former undersecretary Cathy Cabral was still alive and was actually represented by counsel at the time,” Clavano said.

“During this engagement, Congressman Leviste presented only limited portions of the list, responsive, in fairness, to specific inquiries. But he did not present the entire set of files he claimed to possess even when asked to do so. This will differ from the congressman’s public statements suggesting that the full Cabral files had already been shown to or reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman,” he added.

Slid, not jumped

Forensic findings show Cabral most likely slid down a ravine under Kennon Road, Tuba, Benguet, and not jumped, based on injury patterns and 3D scene analysis.

Col. Pierre Paul Carpio, officer-in-charge of the PNP Forensic Group, said that post-mortem findings, autopsy results, toxicology tests and field scanning were consistent with injuries sustained from a fall.

“Our medico-legal examination confirms that the injuries sustained were consistent with a first-fall injury,” Carpio said. “The correlation of the autopsy findings, field scanning, toxicology examination and the victim’s position during impact point to a fall scenario.”

Based on scene reconstruction, Carpio said the victim’s body was found only about 0.2 to 0.8 meters from the base of the ravine, which is inconsistent with a push.

“If the victim had been pushed, the body would likely have landed farther from the base,” he said, adding that “the abrasions on the hands and back indicate a high probability that she slid down.”

The ravine where Cabral was found has a slope of about 8.58 degrees and a depth of roughly 16.9 meters from the highway edge, with some vegetation along the descent, police said.

Toxicology examination also showed the presence of citalopram, a regulated antidepressant drug. Carpio said no cellphone or suicide note was recovered at the scene. “Our findings are based solely on laboratory examinations and the correlation of forensic results,” he said.

Compare copies

Leviste suggested yesterday that it would be best for all concerned if all officials and entities who have copies of the so-called Cabral files compare the contents with each other.

“I believe DPWH, Ombudsman, Senator (Panfilo) Lacson, Bilyonaryo and others have copies. It would be best to compare all files, publicly, at the soonest possible time,” Leviste stressed.

He didn’t directly refute, however, the pronouncements made by Clavano – who acts as the anti-graft body’s spokesman – with regard to the selected portions of the Cabral files that he allegedly showed ombudsman personnel.

“I showed the files to the ombudsman on Nov. 26 and ICI on Nov. 19 and 20 (letting them freely look through the files), at my initiative and publicly called to protect Undersecretary (Catalina) Cabral and secure the files on Nov. 19, 20, 21,” he narrated.

“They did not follow up on this after our meetings. It is unfortunate that DPWH handed over the files to the ombudsman only on Dec 23,” he recalled. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Delon Porcalla