The central processing unit (CPU) of the computer of late former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral is set to undergo forensic examination, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) said on Monday, Dec. 29.

“At present, the CPU is now secured, sealed and under the custody of the Office of the Ombudsman which considers this a critical development as it allows the investigation to proceed on the basis of an original digital piece of evidence,” Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV said in a video statement.

The digital forensic examination will be done transparently and in coordination with the Commission on Audit (COA), the DPWH, and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) “to ensure the integrity of the whole process,” Clavano said.

The computer of the former DPWH undersecretary forms part of the so-called “Cabral files” which allegedly contain the names of government officials allegedly involved in anomalous government flood control projects.

Clavano stressed that “the best and most reliable source of documents are actually the agencies and individuals who had custody, who had control and even authorship of the computers and the storage devices and the files themselves.”

“Evidence that is derived directly from these sources will naturally carry far greater evidentiary value than copies that are circulating outside official custody,” he pointed out.

On the other hand, Clavano warned that “soft copies held by third parties especially those in the format of Word or Excel inherently lose evidentiary credibility as they are susceptible to alteration, incomplete context or manipulation, and as such, these materials cannot by themselves be treated as conclusive evidence.”

He disclosed that the Office of the Ombudsman has actually been approached by multiple sources who claimed possession of copies of the supposed “Cabral files.”

After Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste publicly claimed to possess the complete list in the supposed “Cabral files,” Clavano recounted that “investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman approached him as a matter of prudence and diligence while former undersecretary Cathy Cabral was still alive and was actually represented by counsel at that time.”

“During this engagement, Congressman Leviste presented only limited portions of the list responsive, in fairness, to specific inquiries. But he did not present the entire set of files he claimed to possess even when asked to do so. This will differ from the congressman’s public statements suggesting that the full Cabral files had already been shown to or reviewed by the Office of the Ombudsman,” Clavano said.

He clarified that the so-called “Cabral files” are only part of the Ombudsman’s investigation.

He said that while insertions in the national budget that are supposedly in these files “still need to be carefully examined to determine whether these projects were actually implemented or if they turned out to be ghost projects.”

“An insertion by itself is not automatically illegal. It will only become criminal if it is proven to involve fraud, misuse of public funds, or non-existent projects,” he also said.