Corruption Probe to Proceed Without Witness, Documents, Laptop, Formula

Commission Says It Has Everything It Needs

MANILA — The Philippine government's investigation into a trillion-peso flood control scandal will proceed without interruption, officials said, despite the recent loss of its key witness, her laptop, her documents, her secret budgeting formula and her scheduled testimony

"We have everything we need," said a spokesperson for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure before declining to specify what that might be.

Former public works undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral resigned in September amid allegations she operated a systematic kickback scheme and possessed a comprehensive list of every lawmaker who received fraudulent infrastructure funds. She was found dead at the bottom of a mountain ravine 18 Dec.

Cabral had been expected to appear before investigators within days.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano acknowledged that Cabral's death puts the government in "dangerous territory," although he expressed optimism that the territory would become less perilous over time.

As the head of planning for the public works department, Cabral designed an algorithmic formula in 2023 that determined how hundreds of billions in infrastructure funds would be distributed across the country. The formula, which investigators believe could have illuminated the entire scope of the scandal, was known only to her.

"We're confident we can reverse-engineer the formula," one official said.

He could not confirm whether anyone had started.

Her laptop, which colleagues say contained years of records detailing budget negotiations with lawmakers, has not been located. The anti-corruption office directed domestic authorities to secure her cellphone and other devices, though officials acknowledged these may not contain the same information as the laptop, which, again, has not been located.

"The laptop is one piece of the puzzle," a spokesperson said. "There are other pieces." He did not name them.

Cabral had provided testimony in earlier Senate hearings, during which she confirmed that certain districts received tens of billions in infrastructure projects. But investigators noted that her testimony stopped short of naming the officials who authorized the allocations — details she was expected to provide in her upcoming appearance, which she can no longer attend.

"Those details would've been helpful," one commissioner admitted.

The commission's remaining avenues include testimony from another former undersecretary, Roberto Bernardo, who accused Cabral of running the kickback system alongside two former department heads. Bernardo remains available for questioning, though officials noted that his testimony largely consists of identifying Cabral as the person who knew everything.

One of those former department heads was expected to return to the Philippines by 17 Dec to face investigators. He has not yet arrived.

Officials said they are monitoring the situation.

In a separate development, a lawmaker claimed Monday that Cabral had handed him a "complete list" of lawmakers involved in the scheme in September 2024. He did not explain why he had waited 15 months to bring it up.

"The timing felt right," the lawmaker said.

Investigators pledged to review the list, recover the missing laptop, reconstruct the secret formula and locate any additional documents Cabral may have left behind. They will also continue pursuing testimony from officials who have thus far provided testimony about other officials who are either dead or overseas.

"This investigation will not be derailed," the commission spokesperson said.

At press time, the commission had scheduled its next hearing for January 2026 and confirmed it was fully prepared to proceed with or without the information it had spent months seeking. ■