Governor Grace M. Padaca

Governor Grace Padaca is the elected governor of the northern province of Isabela in the Philippines. First elected in May 2004, she was re-elected in May 2007. Trained in Business Administration with a major in Accounting, Grace Padaca worked as a radio programme host, then a state auditor and an accountant before entering politics and being elected as the governor of the Isabela Province.

Governor Padaca has shared the Isabela experience of faith, hope and courage widely to groups of people in various parts of the world. For instance, in 2007, she spoke at the Leiden University in the Netherlands at the Louwes Fellowship for Research on Food and Water; in 2006, she spoke on "Women with No Limits" in Honolulu, Hawaii; and in 2005, she gave an address on The Triumph of Grassroots Democracy in the Philippines at Harvard's Kennedy School. She is a popular speaker with many groups in the Philippines on various topics over the years.

In recognition of her work and contribution, Governor Padaca has received several awards. In 2004, she was named one of the People of the Year by People Asia Magazine. This was followed by her being awarded the First CEO Excel Award in 2005 by the International Association of Business Communicators in the Philippines. For her courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and advancement, the United States named her "Woman of Courage" in 2007 and to top it all, in 2008, Governor Padaca received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.

MANY MINDS, ONE HEARTBEAT:Charting the New Education Landscape

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Growing up after being hit with polio at three wasn't easy. The taunts, ridicule, and isolation that went with my condition was painful. What saved me from feeling discouraged and worthless was my interest in acquiring education. Yes, I can't play outside, but I can read inside -- those things I can't do I replaced with those I can.

Little did I realize that unconsciously, I was preparing myself for an unimaginable destiny! The studying that I did to console myself then is now my weapon to cope with the myriad responsibilities as governor of our province. All the more that I now know that aside from the proper upbringing of children, their good education is of utmost importance. It opens opportunities to all who would obtain it even to someone as physically weak as me.

It's very gratifying that as a public official I am empowered to do much for our children especially in the field of education. And I need not do it alone because so many selfless individuals and organizations are very willing to share in the burden of taking good care of our children. From a child of solitude, I'm now in a multitude with a common purpose.