Governor Grace, Be our Next President

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, it is your love for the people and the poor, and the voice of God and conscience that 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. Overwhelmingly supported by citizens, you ended a forty year- old political Dy-nasty in 2004 gubernatorial elections. Making agriculture top priority, you made thousands of small-scale farmers happy when you helped increase their income by allocating provincial funds in increasing the price of rice and corn. Mobilizing the military, LGUs, NGOs, Peoples Organizations, churches, and media, you successfully saved the forests and virtually stopped large and small-scale illegal logging activities in the province and made inroads in the fight against jueteng and illegal drugs. You 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.

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 we deserve 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, Kaya Natin! Be our next President!