Depression may have prompted Cabral to commit suicide

File photo of former public works undersecretary ‘Cathy’ Cabral during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the controversial flood control scandal.

Amidst initial findings that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina ‘Cathy’ Cabral committed suicide, forensic pathologists disclosed that the ex-public works official had tested positive for the antidepressant citalopram. 

Last week, Cabral was found unconscious near the Bued River on December 19, at the bottom of a 20-meter cliff along Kennon. A medico-legal report issued by the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed that she sustained blunt traumatic injuries, including fractures to her head, face, rib cage and extremities.

Currently, however, forensic experts have conducted an autopsy of Cabral’s remains and it was confirmed that citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) commonly prescribed for depression and certain anxiety disorders, was present in the victim’s system. 

Investigators decided to look deeper into the former undersecretary’s mental health to dispel speculations of ‘foul play,’ and the electronic records she left behind were also probed to gain a clearer picture of the circumstances leading to her death.

‌According to medical experts, citalopram treats depression and anxiety disorders by 

increasing the serotonin levels in the brain, helping regulate mood. 

The fact that traces of the drug were found in Cabral’s system suggests she was under treatment for a yet-to-be-identified mental health condition.

Meanwhile, Cabral’s driver, Ricardo Hernandez, told investigators that the victim had asked him to leave her at the section of Kennon overlooking the Bued River.

Prior to this, CCTV footage showed the former DPWH official arriving at the Ion Hotel with her driver, checking into her suite on the fourth floor and leaving later in her car. The vehicle was believed to have headed toward Kennon Road. Additional video evidence is still being reviewed as part of the investigation by the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Police cleared Hernandez of any involvement in Cabral’s death, claiming that there is no apparent evidence that connected him to the incident.