Former Isabela governor Padaca appointed Comelec commissioner

(Updated 8:37 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III has appointed former Isabela governor Ma. Gracia Cielo "Grace" Padaca as commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the body that nullified her incumbency in 2009 in favor of former governor Benjamin Dy. "Yes, I confirm the appointment papers of Grace Padaca as Comelec Commissioner has been transmitted to Comelec," said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a text message to reporters confirming Padaca's appointment. But according to Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., Padaca may face legal issues when she assumes her post, saying her appointment may be questioned if one were to use a constitutional provision that states individuals who ran in the preceding elections may not be appointed to the poll body. Padaca's appointment came even as she is facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan, which ordered her arrested last May in connection with the case. Padaca was accused of giving undue advantage to EDWINLFI, a non-governmental organization tapped to manage a credit facility for Isabela’s rice farmers under a hybrid seed distribution program. The NGO was entrusted with the sum of P25 million, which was part of a loan drawn by the provincial government from the Development Bank of the Philippines. Padaca's supporters, which included Sens. Francis Pangilinan and TG Guingona, said the case was a handiwork of Padaca's political enemies. Accomplishments As Isabela governor, Padaca, a Ramon Magsaysay awardee, Padaca actively campaigned against illegal logging problems by reactivating the anti-illegal logging task force in answer to complaints by concerned citizens and groups in the province. On December 5, 2007, then-US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney personally conferred to Padaca the prestigious International Women of Courage Award, an award which was also conferred to former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  It was bestowed on Padaca for her continued development of Isabela following a colorful stint as a broadcast journalist. Other awards given to Padaca were the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Fellowships for Professional Development award (2006), and the First CEO Excel Awards (2005). In July 2008, Padaca co-founded Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership with then-Pampanga Governor Eddie Panlilio and then-Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo. Appointment   Padaca was appointed ad interim ("for the meantime") commissioner until February of 2018, according to the letter submitted by Aquino to the Commission on Appointments. “I have the honor to submit for confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, the ad interim appointment of Hon. Ma. Gracia Cielo M. Padaca,” the letter, signed September 28, 2012, said.   The appointment was transmitted to Padaca the same day, through a letter signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.   A polio survivor, Padaca rose to power in 2004 when she ended the three-decade reign of the Dy family in Isabela at the time. She was a former radio broadcaster before running for public office. In December 2009, Padaca was ordered by the Comelec Second Division to immediately vacate the office of the provincial governor and turn over the post to Dy, who had accused her of committing "glaring violations" in the 2007 elections. — Patricia Denise Chiu/KBK/RSJ, GMA News