Governor Grace, Be our Next President Petition


HONORABLE GRACE PADACA
GOVERNOR, PROVINCE OF ISABELA

Dear Governor Grace,

We write to encourage you to run for President of the Republic of the Philippines in the May 2010 Elections.

We need a President who has the political will and courage to implement the Constitution, establish rule of law, defeat political dynasties, put priority to the needs of poor farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples, urban poor, laborers, the youth, women, and physically-challenged, and stop destructive logging, jueteng, and drugs. We need a President who has shown competence, commitment, and character and who has inspired her own constituency to fight deadly cynicism and social apathy.

We understand your reluctance given the great responsibility the power of the Presidency carries. But we trust that your love for the people and the poor and the voice of God and conscience will finally triumph to guide you in your on-going difficult discernment process. We can only give you our assurance that we will be with you as active and responsible citizens to ensure you govern well and be the best leader you can be.

Your sterling and inspiring track record, vouched by a prestigious Asian Nobel Peace (Ramon Magsaysay) Award for Government Service in 2008, speaks of and gives us the confidence on the future of the country under your leadership. For 14 years as radio commentator, you were a voice of truth and justice in Isabela. Citizens eventually found the courage to end a forty year- old political Dy-nasty by electing you their governor in 2004. Making agriculture top priority, you made thousands of small-scale farmers happy and hopeful when you helped increase their income by allocating provincial funds in increasing the price of rice and corn. With a big heart for the environment, you mobilized the military, LGUs, NGOs, Peoples Organizations, churches, and media to successfully save the forests and virtually stop large and small-scale illegal logging activities in the province and made inroads in the fight against jueteng and illegal drugs. You gained their respect and won over to your side previously adversarial mayors and barangay captains when you visited and provided the most basic services to the remotest barangays. You turned the billion-peso provincial government deficit around so now you can provide more services to your constituents including bigger budget for education and reforestation.

You took care of many fellow physically-challenged individuals as well as senior citizens, the youth, women, tricycle drivers, teachers, market vendors and other citizen's organizations. You enrolled more than a hundred thousands of your citizens to PhilHealth, ensuring their access to medical services. You were sought by female leaders around the world to speak to them about leadership. Your performance in school (Valedictorian in elementary and high school, and Magna Cum Laude in college) and beyond, inspite of being a polio victim, inspired and challenged the youth of Isabela and other parts of the country to build their character, learn to study well and take leadership roles in the community. With four other esteemed local government leaders, you helped build a citizens movement of hope, Kaya Natin, showing to the rest of the country that good governance is possible and can be done.

We believe the country deserves better. We, the Filipino citizen-voters the world over, urge you to expand your service to the rest of the country by becoming our President in 2010-2016.

Governor Grace, Kailangan ka ng Sambayanang Pilipino. Ikaw ang karapat-dapat na Pangulo. Kaya natin ito!