Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina E. Cabral delivered an inspiring keynote address at the Asia Women’s Forum, hosted by the Philippines’ largest business forum, the Asia CEO Forum, at the Manila Marriott Hotel on March 21, 2025.
In her speech titled “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies”, Undersecretary Cabral urged women to assert their rightful place in engineering and leadership roles within government.
As one of the top leaders at DPWH, the government’s engineering and construction arm, Undersecretary Cabral shared her pioneering journey in the infrastructure sector, calling for an end to gender stereotypes in both the boardroom and on construction sites.
Cabral stands as one of only two female civil engineers ever to receive the Professional Regulation Commission’s Most Outstanding Civil Engineer Award—a prestigious honor that has been awarded since 1977, with only one other woman having received it a decade ago.
Currently serving as DPWH Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) at DPWH, Undersecretary Cabral made history as the first woman to rise from the department’s ranks to this high-ranking position.
She also shattered new ground as the first female national president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE).
These achievements reflect her remarkable 30-year career in a field where female leadership remains rare.
During the forum, Undersecretary Cabral reflected on the challenges of navigating a male-dominated industry, recounting how she often entered project meetings and was mistaken for an assistant rather than the lead engineer.
“Men are assumed to be capable until proven otherwise. Women are assumed to be incapable until we prove otherwise,” she said, highlighting the bias she had to overcome.
She emphasized, however, that women like her have not only persisted but thrived. “We don’t just build roads. We build spaces where women belong—where our ideas are heard, our skills are valued, and where we are not ‘exceptions,’ but part of the norm,” Undersecretary Cabral declared, receiving strong applause from the audience.
She stressed that competence is determined by skill and determination, not gender, and that she and other women “stayed, worked, and proved them wrong” over the years.
In her powerful conclusion, Undersecretary Cabral urged women professionals not to wait for permission to lead.
“Stop waiting. You are ready now,” she said, urging women to step into leadership roles with confidence.
She affirmed that women are not temporary participants in leadership but equal, permanent stakeholders.
“We are not guests in leadership. We are here to stay,” she asserted.
Undersecretary Cabral emphasized that part of her mission is to mentor and uplift other women in the industry.
“When we rise, we lift others with us,” she said, stressing that her legacy is to create a pathway for more women to follow.
She challenged organizations to build inclusive environments where the next generation of female engineers and leaders can continue breaking barriers and building their own legacies.
