Court orders ex-Isabela Gov. Padaca arrested

Former Isabela Governor and Kaya Natin founding member Grace Padaca. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of former Isabela Governor Grace Padaca who is accused of allegedly misusing public funds for an agricultural program in her province.

Associate Justice Roland B. Jurado, who chairs the anti-graft court’s 5th Division, signed the arrest warrant last Monday.

The court set Padaca’s bail at P40,000 for the malversation of public funds case and P30,000 for the graft case.

Copies of the arrest warrant will be forwarded to the National Bureau of Investigation-Region 2 Office, the Isabela Philippine National Police provincial commander and the Ilagan PNP chief, the Sandiganbayan said.

Last month, Padaca, a supporter of President Benigno Aquino III, tried to stop the court from issuing an arrest warrant against her, saying the Ombudsman’s indictment of her had no basis.

The Ombudsman conducted an investigation against Padaca based on a complaint filed against her and other provincial officials by former Isabela Representative Santiago Respicio.

Padaca was accused of favoring a nongovernment organization, the Economic Development for Western Isabela and Northern Luzon Foundation Inc. (EDWINLFI), in the award of a P25-million priority hybrid rice project.

The Ombudsman said Padaca illegally awarded the contract to EDWINLFI to manage the supervised credit and seed distribution facility for farmers as it was done without public bidding or any other legitimate procurement procedure. Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net