MANILA — Six boxes of documents once held by the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral have gone missing, her lawyer confirmed, raising fresh questions about accountability in one of the government’s most scrutinized agencies.

Lawyer Mae Divinagracia disclosed that Cabral had shown her the boxes before her death. The files reportedly contained project lists, handwritten notes, internal presentations, and requests tied to the preparation of DPWH’s annual budget proposals from 2023 to 2025. 

“She showed me the six boxes, but she was supposed to organize and turn over only the relevant files to the legal team before she died. That step was never completed,” Divinagracia said.

Cabral’s family has also stated they are unaware of the whereabouts of the documents. The missing files are believed to contain sensitive information about budget allocations and possible “insertions” — a term long associated with questionable infrastructure projects and pork barrel politics.

Missing Boxes and the Shadow of Accountability

The disappearance of the six boxes is more than a logistical mishap; it is a symbol of the fragility of transparency in Philippine governance. For decades, the DPWH has been dogged by allegations of padded contracts, ghost projects, and politically motivated budget insertions. The fact that Cabral, a senior official, had kept such documents outside formal channels suggests she may have been safeguarding evidence or preparing disclosures that never materialized.

This revelation comes at a time when public trust in government institutions is already strained. The controversy surrounding confidential funds in other agencies, the slashing of infrastructure budgets despite urgent needs, and the recurring inefficiencies in basic services all feed into a narrative of systemic dysfunction. The missing boxes now serve as a tangible reminder of how accountability can literally vanish.

The timing is also critical. Cabral’s death, followed by the disappearance of files she had shown to her lawyer, underscores the vulnerability of insiders who attempt to expose irregularities. Divinagracia herself noted the importance of securing witnesses and testimonies, hinting at the risks faced by those who challenge entrenched interests.

The DPWH has yet to issue a comprehensive explanation, and the silence only fuels speculation. Were the documents deliberately removed to protect powerful figures? Or were they lost in the bureaucratic shuffle of one of the government’s largest agencies? Either way, the optics are damning: billions of pesos in public funds are at stake, and the paper trail has gone missing.