In the complete but unofficial count of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) of returns from the province’s 36 towns, Maria Gracia Cielo "Grace" Magno Padaca got 238,737 votes against the 196,009 votes of re-electionist Gov. Faustino Dy Jr., national president of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
Based on the official canvass of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) before it was suspended last Monday, Dy got 15,588 votes against Padaca’s 25,272.
With election returns from eight towns still uncanvassed, local observers believe that Dy could no longer keep up with Padaca’s lead.
Although Padaca, who ran under the banner of the Aksyon Demokratiko, has yet to be proclaimed, Isabelinos already consider her their new governor.
Even before the campaign for local candidates started, there were doubts if Padaca could withstand the rigors of the campaign.
But midway into the 45-day campaign period, Padaca stuck to her campaign schedules despite her physical disability, something which Dy’s strategists failed to anticipate.
A week before the May 10 elections, surveys conducted by independent groups showed Padaca being preferred by the respondents. But then again, Dy’s advisers disregarded this.
When the election returns from the 36 towns started coming in, the re-electionist governor was shown lagging behind Padaca by a wide margin.
On the third day of the canvassing, Padaca was enjoying a comfortable lead over Dy. She posted a huge lead in five of the eight towns comprising the province’s third district.
Riding on her popularity and an issue-oriented campaign, she, however, lost in the provincial canvassing by 400 votes allegedly due to dagdag-bawas (vote padding and shaving) operations in Angadanan town.
Padaca filed a protest with the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) but the body decided in favor of Dy, giving him a 48-vote lead over Padaca.
Despite her defeat in the 2001 polls, Padaca this time decided to square off with Dy’s older brother, Faustino Dy Jr., in the gubernatorial race.
Her courage to fight the formidable political clan did not escape the attention of big names in local politics and the Catholic Church.
A coalition of political groups, Church-based organizations and left-leaning party-list groups emerged, calling itself the Isabela United Opposition, and threw its support behind Padaca’s gubernatorial bid.
Among the people behind the Isabela United Opposition were Bis—hop Sergio Utleg of the Diocese of Ila—gan; second district Rep. Edwin Uy, Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats) provincial chairman; Santiago City Mayor Jose "Pempe" Miranda, and the provincial leaders of Bayan Muna, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and Anak Pawis.
The group provided Padaca with campaign volunteers, materials and logistics, which she did not have in 2001.
Political observers here said Padaca’s looming victory in the gubernatorial race and the defeat of two other members of the Dy clan — engineer Alex Dy and Benjamin Dy Jr. — in the mayoralty races in San Mariano and Angadanan towns, respectively, signal the decline of the family’s stronghold of the province.
The next crucial issue, however, is how Padaca will convince Dy’s political allies to toe the line, they said.
"My victory came after a long wait for Isabelinos. The people have spoken; let us vigilantly guard our divine right. If we lose it now, we may no longer get it back," Padaca said.
The post-election events in Isabela have undoubtedly thrust the unassuming Padaca into the political limelight. However, even before she cast her lot in politics, she was already known in the province as a hard-hitting broadcaster of dzNC Bombo Radyo in Cauayan City.
Her exposés and commentaries earned for her the monicker "colossal lady on the airwaves" despite her frail appearance.
"Bombo Grace," as she is popularly known, joined dzNC in 1986. Just before she quit her job to run for Congress in 2001, she was the station manager.
A magna cum laude graduate of the Lyceum of the Philippines with a degree in Business Administration, she had worked as an auditor at the Commission on Audit.