The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee moved Thursday to compel former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral to testify in its probe on alleged budget irregularities, even after she stepped down from her post earlier this week.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the inquiry, said the panel issued a subpoena after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed that Cabral had resigned two nights earlier.
“Even if she is now just a private citizen and no longer part of the DPWH, if the committee will require her to attend, she still must attend. But now, no longer as an official of the DPWH, but as a private citizen,” said Dizon.
Dizon told senators that Cabral had informed the committee she would skip the hearing, citing her resignation from government service.
Lacson explained that her departure does not exempt her from testifying while Senator Rodante Marcoleta also insisted that Cabral should still face questioning, pointing to what he described as troubling issues linked to her role in the agency.
Marcoleta cited a message allegedly sent by Cabral to the office of then-Senate President Vicente Sotto III after the May 2025 elections, which Lacson earlier said suggested attempts to influence the budget process.
Lacson put the proposal to summon Cabral to a vote after Marcoleta formally moved for the issuance of a subpoena.
Senator Erwin Tulfo seconded the motion, which the panel swiftly approved.
Dizon assured the senators that DPWH would continue investigating possible irregularities within the department despite Cabral’s exit.
“This does not in any way stop us from continuing our internal investigations on who should be liable for the clear crimes committed against our people,” he assured.
The panel’s next session will continue to focus on uncovering responsibility for alleged irregularities in public works spending.
