[1] He was the former president of the Lawyers against Monopoly and Poverty (LAMP) and served as a bar examiner on international and political law.
[8][1] Padua served as president of the Lawyers Against Monopoly and Poverty (LAMP), a group of lawyers that aimed to "dismantle all forms of political, economic or social monopoly in the country.
"[9] In 2012, Padua and LAMP questioned the constitutionality of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the Philippines' General Appropriations Act for 2004.
[9] In 1970, he was elected as a Delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention representing the first district of Rizal Province.
[10] At the time, it was reported that Padua was nearly ousted from his seat in the Constitutional Convention for supporting a "Ban-Marcos" resolution.