Trigger warning: mention of suicide
Naniniwala si Engineer Cesar Cabral na "aksidente" ang pagkahulog sa bangin at pagkamatay ng asawang si Maria Catalina Cabral.
Si Catalina ay former DPWH undersecretary na sangkot sa imbestigasyon sa bilyun-bilyong pisong anomalya sa pondo ng infrastructure projects ng pamahalaan.
Natagpuang walang buhay ang katawan ng dating DPWH undersecretary noong Huwebes, Disyembre 18, 2025, sa bangin ng Kennon Road, Tuba, Benguet.
Read: Catalina Cabral, naka-check-in sa dating pag-aaring hotel
CATALINA CABRAL ALLEGED CAUSE OF DEATH
Pero ayon kay Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, "nagpakamatay" at hindi umano aksidente ang nangyari kay Cabral.
"All signs point to suicide," pahayag ni Remulla sa panayam sa kanya ni Karen Davila sa Headstart ng ANC nitong Lunes, Disyembre 22, 2025.
Tahasang ibinahagi pa ni Remulla ang kanyang suspetsa bakit winakasan umano ni Catalina ang sariling buhay.
"I cannot speak for her, but in my supposition, I think it’s the end of the line.
"I think the ICI [Independent Commission for Infrastructure] investigation would have been next.
"I think the personalities involved in the whole transactions were pressuring her.
"I think she could live with the crime, with the commission of the crime but she couldn’t live with being caught. That’s my interpretation."
Read: Catalina Cabral at Eric Yap, hindi raw kunektado sa Ion Hotel
JONVIC REMULLA ON DRIVER'S SELFIE
Sinagot din ni Remulla ang tanong ni Davila tungkol sa viral selfie picture ni Ricardo Hernandez, ang driver ni Cabral.
Marami ang nahihiwagaan sa motibo ni Hernandez sa selfie picture niya na hagip si Cabral habang nakaupo ito sa concrete barrier sa Kennon Road. Kuha iyon ilang oras bago nakita ang bangkay ni Cabral sa malalim na bangin sa Kennon Road.
Ipinaliwanag ni Remulla na habang paakyat sa Baguio City ang dalawa, nangako umano si Cabral na tutulungan nito si Hernandez na magkaroon ng sariling bahay.
"She promised him to help him build a house. He’s very happy," ani Remulla.
Sa sobrang tuwa umano ni Hernandez ay nag-selfie ito, at nahagip pa nga si Cabral sa di kalayuan.
Walang-wala raw sa isip ni Hernandez na hindi na matutupad ang bahay na ipinangakong ipapatayo sa kanya ni Cabral dahil nasawi ang huli.
Noong Linggo, Disyembre 21, inihayag ni Remulla na si Cabral ang dating may-ari ng hotel na tinuluyan ni Cabral sa Baguio bago ang nangyaring insidenteng pagpanaw nito.
Sinabi rin ni Remulla na ibinenta ni Cabral kay Benguet lone representative Eric Yap ang nasabing hotel nito lamang 2025. Si Yap ay nadadawit din sa flood-control investigation.
Pero mariing pinabulaanan ng lawyer ng Ion hotel, si Atty. Enrique dela Cruz, ang impormasyong pinakalat ni Remulla.
Sabi sa official statement ng abugado: “These allegations are entirely false, misleading, and wholly unsubstantiated.
"Undersecretary Cabral and Congressman Yap are not, and have never been owners, shareholders, directors, officers, or beneficial owners of Ion Hotel. They have no involvement whatsoever-direct or indirect- in the ownership, management, or operations of the hotel.
“Moreover, Ion Hotel is not involved in, connected to, or associated in any manner with any flood control project.
"The hotel is not engaged in the construction industry."
Read: Viral selfie ng driver ni Catalina Cabral, tugma sa dashcam pic
JONVIC REMULLA STANDS BY STATEMENT about ion hotel
Pero hindi natinag si Remulla.
Pinanindigan nito ang kanyang rebelasyon.
"Yung hotel, ang beneficial owner niyan ay si, ang tingin namin, si Usec. Cabral ‘coz it is named after her very, very good friend who does not have the capacity to buy such a hotel,” giit ni Remulla.
Hindi na tinukoy ni Remulla ang pangalan ng lalakeng kaibigan ni Cabral na nagmamay-ari umano ng hotel.
Pagpapatuloy ni Remulla: "It was bought by the assistant of Eric Yap who does not have the capacity to buy such a hotel either, so you must surmise that the beneficial owners of the source was Cabral and then the one who purchased it was Mr. Yap.
"It was owned by her in 2025, sold to the best friend of Eric Yap. She bought it in 2017, if I am not mistaken."
Sabay tukoy ni Remulla sa current management ng Ion Hotel: "The owners, the nominees of the Ion Hotel, claimed that she [Cabral] has nothing to do with it so we’re gonna ask him, 'Okay, if not, then prove that she doesn’t have anything to do with it.Show me, show us your records.'"
Read: Philippine Flood Control Corruption: A Timeline
ION HOTEL'S ALLEGED ESTIMATED VALUE
Ayon pa kay Remulla, mahal ang estimated value ng hotel in question.
"That’s a couple of hundred millions, that’s a 200-room hotel. That’s minimum of PHP400 million to purchase," saad ni Remulla.
Tukoy niya sa previous owner na close friend umano ni Cabral, "He doesn’t have that capacity.
"He is not close to Eric Yap. He sold it to someone very close to Eric Yap.
"That asset is a very valuable asset. It used to be the Holiday Inn."
Nabanggit din ni Remulla na ang kontrobersyal na hotel ay madalas tuluyan ni Cabral sa tuwing pumupunta ito sa Baguio City.
"Is it possible that Eric Yap owns Ion Hotel?” tanong ni Karen Davila.
Sagot ni Remulla, "That’s what we suspect because the transaction, minimum is PHP500 million, I would say PHP700 million for a 200-room hotel in Baguio, so it’s not spare change."
Nais ni Remulla na siyasatin pa ang issue.
"We want to see the board resolutions, who signed it. We want to see the board of director’s meetings of who was there.
"We want to talk to the corporate secretaries. You can get to the bottom, you can see the money trail of where the amounts came from."