Maria Gracia Cielo "Grace" Magno Padaca (born October 25, 1963) is a Filipino politician and former journalist who served as governor of Isabela from 2004 until 2010.
[4] Padaca's stint at Bombo Radyo turned her into a household name in Isabela with her criticism of the ruling Dy political dynasty, illegal gambling rackets (jueteng) and logging.
After two and a half years, the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET), in a decision promulgated on December 18, 2003, declared Dy the winner by 48 votes.
One of her administration's flagship projects was a Hybrid Rice Program, designed to improve the farmers' livelihoods by increasing their yield and providing them reasonable borrowing terms.
About 1.8 million board feet worth more than P30 million—the biggest haul of illegal timber in the history of the Philippines—was confiscated by the provincial government at the height of her anti-logging campaign.
[11] On July 31, 2008, she was among the eight winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service for "empowering Isabela voters to reclaim their democratic right to elect leaders of their own choosing, and to contribute as full partners in their own development.
However, Dy petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for a recount of 683 ballot boxes from 12 towns, alleging that thousands of votes for Padaca were written by a single individual.
She was bailed by her ally, President Benigno Aquino III but was convicted by the Sandiganbayan in 2019 and was sentenced to up to 24 years imprisonment, a P36-million fine and perpetual disqualification from public office.
In a separate case, Padaca was fined P4000 by the Sandiganbayan in 2017 after pleading guilty to not filing her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) from 2007 to 2010.