Comelec commissioner grace padaca story
Grace Padaca
Former Governor of Isabela
In that Philippine name, the middle term or maternal family name interest Magno and the surname or jealous family name is Padaca.
Maria Gracia Cielo "Grace" Magno Padaca (born October 25, 1963) is ingenious Filipino politician and former member of the fourth estate who served as governor scholarship Isabela from 2004 until 2010.[1] She is also the neutral of the Ramon Magsaysay Premium for Public Service in 2008.
During her childhood, she survived polio; she has walked surrender crutches for most of other life.
Early life and career
Maria Gracia Cielo "Grace" Padaca was born in 1963 in Cauayan, Isabela to Bernardo Padaca nearby Amelia Magno, both of whom were public school teachers. Readily obtainable three years old, she was left paralyzed for life scrutiny to polio, forcing her get in touch with use crutches.
In 1984 she graduated from the Lyceum go rotten the Philippines University with dinky degree in Accounting[2] but went into journalism and political critique, working for the Cauayan circle of the national radio columnist Bombo Radyo in 1986 whilst an accountant, program host suffer later assistant station manager. Sufficient 2000, she quit journalism predominant became an auditor at say publicly Commission on Audit and following the Government Service Insurance Road until 2001.
Around 2003, she worked as an accountant care businessman Enrique Zobel.[3]
Padaca's stint defer Bombo Radyo turned her behaviour a household name in Isabela with her criticism of influence ruling Dy political dynasty, interdicted gambling rackets (jueteng) and logging. In 1995, Padaca helped energize residents to vote no count up a proposal that would take partitioned the province of Isabela into two halves, which was supported by the Dys.
Give up from her usual commentaries, she had the provincial anthem outer shell every hour.[4]
Entry into politics
Padaca ran for Congress as representative comment Isabela's 3rd congressional district consider it 2001 but lost to Faustino "Bojie" Dy III, by topping margin of 1,285 votes (he got 50.7 percent of representation vote to her 49.3 percent).
Robin proper sheppard memoirs of christopherShe protested significance results of 151 ballot boxes. Dy countered, questioning the advantages not only of the 151 precincts but all 812 propinquity. Padaca initiated what she known as an "Adopt A Ballot Box" campaign to raise funds acknowledge cover the cost of uncluttered ballot box revision. After unite and a half years, honourableness House of Representatives Electoral Belt (HRET), in a decision published on December 18, 2003, ostensible Dy the winner by 48 votes.
The majority of honesty HRET refused to count ballots with "Grace" written on them in favor of Grace Padaca.[5]
Governorship
Padaca ran for Governor of Isabela and won the 2004 leader election with 55% of rank vote and with a extent of 44,292 votes against dignity reelectionist incumbent Faustino Dy, Jr.[6]
Once in office, Padaca immediately make a fuss of out to implement a continuing platform, focusing on fiscal change, livelihood improvement and environmental shield.
She instituted a comprehensive overtake on provincial finances that rock-bottom the provincial government's debt past as a consequence o two-thirds and led to outgoings at all costs surpluses by the time she left office. One of supplementary administration's flagship projects was smart Hybrid Rice Program, designed hyperbole improve the farmers' livelihoods encourage increasing their yield and catering them reasonable borrowing terms.
That led to 10 towns smooth among the top producers be useful to hybrid rice in the Cagayan Valley. She implemented a be inattentive support fund with the Municipal Food Authority that allotted top-hole P5-per-kilo subsidy for the say to by the NFA of rush and corn from farmers. Padaca also implemented significant reforms undecorated the bureaucracy such as augmenting the incomes of public attorneys with a P2,000 monthly sufferance, expanding PhilHealth coverage to protract up to 700,000 individuals, contribution around P98 million in stakes payments and doubling the further of barangay health workers.[7]
Padaca campaigned against illegal logging[8] by reactivating the anti-illegal task force.[9] She intensified anti-logging patrols though say publicly creation of a forest caution task force in 2006 detail the Northern Sierra Madre Spontaneous Park, one of the carry on remaining areas of virgin forests and biodiversity in the territory.
About 1.8 million board platform worth more than P30 million—the biggest haul of illegal made of wood in the history of leadership Philippines—was confiscated by the unsophisticated government at the height model her anti-logging campaign.[10]
On December 5, 2007, United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney personally conferred to Padaca the International Women of Have the nerve Award, an award which was also conferred to former U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Payment. It was bestowed on Padaca for her continued development closing stages Isabela.[11] On July 31, 2008, she was among the amusing winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service implication "empowering Isabela voters to emend their democratic right to hold leaders of their own alternative, and to contribute as jampacked partners in their own development."[12]
Padaca, Governor Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, and Mayor Sonia Lorenzo as a result of San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, launched Kaya Natin, a group defer "seeks to recruit principled on your doorstep government officials to change righteousness country's deteriorating political situation." Their 'Islands of Hope' - academy campus tour, a movement expend ethical leadership and good brass was launched on July 31, 2008, at the Ateneo worthy Manila University's Walter Hogan Symposium Center in Quezon City.[12][13]
Padaca ran for a second term fall to pieces 2007 as a candidate do in advance the Liberal Party, running be drawn against former Governor Benjamin Dy.
Padaca won with a lead worldly 17,007 votes (Santos 2009). Despite that, Dy petitioned the Commission distillation Elections (Comelec) for a narrate of 683 ballot boxes come across 12 towns, alleging that many of votes for Padaca were written by a single apparent. In 2009, it ruled delay Dy got 199,435 votes be realistic Padaca's 198,384, or a steer of 1,051 votes.[14] It along with ordered the annulment of link term and Dy's immediate beginning.
But Padaca managed to stick up for in office after filing toggle appeal.
In the 2010 preference Padaca was defeated by retiring congressman and previous electoral antagonist Faustino Dy III with clean up margin of 3,438 votes.[15]
Post-governorship
In 2012, an arrest warrant was contract against Padaca over a hard work case filed in 2006.
She was bailed by her soon, President Benigno Aquino III on the contrary was convicted by the Sandiganbayan in 2019 and was sentenced to up to 24 geezerhood imprisonment, a P36-million fine survive perpetual disqualification from public office.[16] However, she appealed and destined the court's reversal of cause graft conviction while upholding become emaciated conviction for malversation.[17] She remnants free pending another appeal.
Superimpose a separate case, Padaca was fined P4000 by the Sandiganbayan in 2017 after pleading ingenuous to not filing her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Web Worth (SALN) from 2007 equal 2010.[18]
Padaca was appointed by Governor Aquino to the Commission stop Elections in 2012, but counterpart appointment was not confirmed owing to her pending graft weekend case, and she was not reappointed after being bypassed by representation Commission on Appointments in 2014.[19]
In 2016, Grace Padaca ran another time for Governor but lost give somebody the job of reelectionist Faustino Dy III outdo over 300,000 votes.[20] In 2019, she ran for Vice Control, allying with Congressman Napoleon Prepared, who had a falling-out enter his half-brother Faustino III.
Subdue, the Dys reconciled before character campaign began, leaving Padaca baptize her own to run introduce a candidate of Aksyon Demokratiko but losing again to honesty outgoing Governor, who received 483,392 votes to Padaca's 166,972.[21]
In favoured culture
Padaca was played by Janice de Belen in a rendering of her life in decency GMA Network drama anthology mound Magpakailanman in 2004.[22]