FORMER Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca has questioned the timing of the Office of the Ombudsman’s filling of perjury charges against her before the Sandiganbayan over her alleged non-filing of her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth from 2007 to 2010.
In her Facebook wall, she maintained her innocence, saying “it is not true that I did not submit my SALN(s) for four years.”
“I’m in the news but most of them did not bother to present my side. It is about an Ombudsman decision dated Aug. 3, 2015 but it came out during this period of filing of Certificates of Candidacy,” she lamented.
She said she cited at least four legal issues in her May 29 motion for reconsideration submitted to the anti-graft court, insisting she submitted her SALNs, but that they went missing.
The provincial government also failed to forward her SALNs to the Ombudsman for Luzon, saying when she learned about her missing documents, she “voluntarily” submitted new ones.
“That was long before I was charged at the Ombudsman,” she reasoned, stressing that she had no other possessions, investments or businesses when she was then the governor, except from a small parcel of lot and a P2-million bank deposit, which she got from being a 2008 Ramon Magsaysay awardee.
“I actually submitted my SALNs. I suspect somebody from the HRD of the provincial government, who were supporters of the previous administration of a political dynasty, could be behind the missing SALN(s).”
“May I ask those with pending charges at the Ombudsman? Is itthat easy for you to resolve cases?” she asked.
A lawyer from Naguilan, Isabela—Francisco Ramirez—filed charges against Padaca, who claimed he was a “close ally” of her opponents and was once a provincial legal officer.
“A similar complaint was filed by former Rep. Santiago Respicio, ally of Padaca’s opponents since the 1960s or 1970s (buhay pa siya),” Padaca wrote.