Manila: The Philippine National Police (PNP) will work closely with the concerned investigating bodies to ensure the proper handling of the so-called "Cabral files" once they are turned over to authorities. "The Philippine National Police has been assisting all investigative bodies in this effort and in this case, we will be of service again to secure what needs to be secured within the bounds of the law," acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the PNP will be working closely with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), the panel President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. formed to look into anomalous flood control projects, with regards to the files. Nartatez also assured the public that all findings from the files will undergo a thorough forensic examination. "Patuloy naming sinusubaybayan ang mga developments upang matiyak na lahat ng impormasyon ay maiproseso nang tama at naaayon sa batas (We are monitoring the developments to ensure that all information are processed properly and in accordance with the law)," he said.
The "Cabral files" refer to data storage devices, documents, records and files linked to the late Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, a key personality in the corruption scandal hounding government flood control projects. The DPWH earlier said it would hand over the files to both the PNP and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Nartatez said among those expected to be uncovered in the devices are files identifying the proponents of DPWH budget insertions, copies of which were supposedly given by Cabral to Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste before she fell to her death in Benguet on Dec. 19. "We will ensure that all findings are thoroughly examined and acted upon," the PNP chief said.
This initiative aligns with Marcos' directive to ensure that all government operations are conducted with diligence, integrity, and respect for the rule of law. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla, for his part, said Cabral's gadgets could help determine if there were threats against her life prior to her death.
Remulla noted the critical role of the gadgets and other physical evidence in tracing the days leading to Cabral's death, saying these could aid in identifying if there were imminent threats against her life. 'What we have to determine is number one, if there were threats to her life; number two, if there were any conversations prior to the event; number three, if there were still transactions pending; and number four, who was she conversing with the week before the event,' Remulla told reporters in a press briefing in Quezon City.
