Grace in the Philippines: Leading with Disability, Faith, and Influence
Grace Padaca’s leadership was forged in a cultural context where political complexities and physical disability were often misunderstood. In the Philippines, public life is deeply relational and intensely scrutinized, and women who lead in these spaces often carry added weight. However, Grace’s voice has influenced young people and those around them in ways few could anticipate. As a former provincial governor and national elections commissioner, she remains active today as a self-employed leader and speaker, serving as president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter. Yet the impact she carries now was shaped long before she held office.
At age three, Grace contracted polio, leaving her legs paralyzed. She grew up navigating discrimination, depression, and isolation in a society that equated physical strength with capability. At 17, she encountered the gospel through the first Bible she ever read and found hope in John 9:3, where Jesus reframes disability not as punishment, but as a stage for God’s work. That revelation reordered her identity. Rather than withdrawing from public life, she sensed a call to step into it with courage rooted in Christ.
Grace pursued radio broadcasting to be heard without being seen, weary of being judged for her physical disability. Thousands of listeners across her region came to trust her voice as she spoke honestly about the concerns of ordinary citizens and held those in power accountable. Over time, that credibility became a bridge to public leadership. The same people who trusted her voice elected her as the first woman governor of her province, an extraordinary step for a leader who had once feared being seen because of her disability.
After a major electoral defeat, Grace attended the Haggai Leader Experience (HLE), having been invited multiple times during her time as governor but was unable to leave her province. She describes her experience as “grace upon grace.” The generosity of sponsors, the excellence of facilitators, and the strength of being shaped in a multicultural community redirected her focus away from anger and depression and back to God, reaffirming a lifelong commitment to follow His lead.
Now president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter, Grace champions Leaders With Disability (LWD), not as a special interest group, but as strategically positioned leaders with lived credibility. In April 2025, she convened a National Seminar with 25 emerging leaders, 15 of whom were LWD, in Pasay City. In the following seminar in October, two more LWDs became Haggai graduates. Her hope and prayer are that at least one or two LWD would be a part of every national seminar conducted in her country.
Several participants now lead accessibility initiatives within churches, civic organizations, and local government offices, forming a growing network of disability advocates committed to ethical leadership across Metro Manila. For Grace, this was multiplication in action: leaders equipped to reach communities whose needs they understand firsthand, demonstrating the gospel with wisdom and dignity.
Today, Grace mentors emerging leaders in ethical leadership, challenges public officials toward good governance, and speaks in civic and professional spaces where values shape decisions. She invests deeply in leaders with disabilities and other emerging influencers, encouraging them to lead with credibility, integrity, and faith within their own spheres of influence.
The girl who once hid her disability behind a microphone now equips others to step visibly into leadership, multiplying voices of integrity across communities, institutions, and public life throughout the Philippines.
Written by Zoë Webb
Grace in the Philippines: Leading with Disability, Faith, and Influence
Grace Padaca’s leadership was forged in a cultural context where political complexities and physical disability were often misunderstood. In the Philippines, public life is deeply relational and intensely scrutinized, and women who lead in these spaces often carry added weight. However, Grace’s voice has influenced young people and those around them in ways few could anticipate. As a former provincial governor and national elections commissioner, she remains active today as a self-employed leader and speaker, serving as president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter. Yet the impact she carries now was shaped long before she held office.
At age three, Grace contracted polio, leaving her legs paralyzed. She grew up navigating discrimination, depression, and isolation in a society that equated physical strength with capability. At 17, she encountered the gospel through the first Bible she ever read and found hope in John 9:3, where Jesus reframes disability not as punishment, but as a stage for God’s work. That revelation reordered her identity. Rather than withdrawing from public life, she sensed a call to step into it with courage rooted in Christ.
Grace pursued radio broadcasting to be heard without being seen, weary of being judged for her physical disability. Thousands of listeners across her region came to trust her voice as she spoke honestly about the concerns of ordinary citizens and held those in power accountable. Over time, that credibility became a bridge to public leadership. The same people who trusted her voice elected her as the first woman governor of her province, an extraordinary step for a leader who had once feared being seen because of her disability.
After a major electoral defeat, Grace attended the Haggai Leader Experience (HLE), having been invited multiple times during her time as governor but was unable to leave her province. She describes her experience as “grace upon grace.” The generosity of sponsors, the excellence of facilitators, and the strength of being shaped in a multicultural community redirected her focus away from anger and depression and back to God, reaffirming a lifelong commitment to follow His lead.
Now president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter, Grace champions Leaders With Disability (LWD), not as a special interest group, but as strategically positioned leaders with lived credibility. In April 2025, she convened a National Seminar with 25 emerging leaders, 15 of whom were LWD, in Pasay City. In the following seminar in October, two more LWDs became Haggai graduates. Her hope and prayer are that at least one or two LWD would be a part of every national seminar conducted in her country.
Several participants now lead accessibility initiatives within churches, civic organizations, and local government offices, forming a growing network of disability advocates committed to ethical leadership across Metro Manila. For Grace, this was multiplication in action: leaders equipped to reach communities whose needs they understand firsthand, demonstrating the gospel with wisdom and dignity.
Today, Grace mentors emerging leaders in ethical leadership, challenges public officials toward good governance, and speaks in civic and professional spaces where values shape decisions. She invests deeply in leaders with disabilities and other emerging influencers, encouraging them to lead with credibility, integrity, and faith within their own spheres of influence.
The girl who once hid her disability behind a microphone now equips others to step visibly into leadership, multiplying voices of integrity across communities, institutions, and public life throughout the Philippines.
Written by Zoë Webb
Grace in the Philippines: Leading with Disability, Faith, and Influence
Grace Padaca’s leadership was forged in a cultural context where political complexities and physical disability were often misunderstood. In the Philippines, public life is deeply relational and intensely scrutinized, and women who lead in these spaces often carry added weight. However, Grace’s voice has influenced young people and those around them in ways few could anticipate. As a former provincial governor and national elections commissioner, she remains active today as a self-employed leader and speaker, serving as president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter. Yet the impact she carries now was shaped long before she held office.
At age three, Grace contracted polio, leaving her legs paralyzed. She grew up navigating discrimination, depression, and isolation in a society that equated physical strength with capability. At 17, she encountered the gospel through the first Bible she ever read and found hope in John 9:3, where Jesus reframes disability not as punishment, but as a stage for God’s work. That revelation reordered her identity. Rather than withdrawing from public life, she sensed a call to step into it with courage rooted in Christ.
Grace pursued radio broadcasting to be heard without being seen, weary of being judged for her physical disability. Thousands of listeners across her region came to trust her voice as she spoke honestly about the concerns of ordinary citizens and held those in power accountable. Over time, that credibility became a bridge to public leadership. The same people who trusted her voice elected her as the first woman governor of her province, an extraordinary step for a leader who had once feared being seen because of her disability.
After a major electoral defeat, Grace attended the Haggai Leader Experience (HLE), having been invited multiple times during her time as governor but was unable to leave her province. She describes her experience as “grace upon grace.” The generosity of sponsors, the excellence of facilitators, and the strength of being shaped in a multicultural community redirected her focus away from anger and depression and back to God, reaffirming a lifelong commitment to follow His lead.
Now president of the Haggai Metro Manila Chapter, Grace champions Leaders With Disability (LWD), not as a special interest group, but as strategically positioned leaders with lived credibility. In April 2025, she convened a National Seminar with 25 emerging leaders, 15 of whom were LWD, in Pasay City. In the following seminar in October, two more LWDs became Haggai graduates. Her hope and prayer are that at least one or two LWD would be a part of every national seminar conducted in her country.
Several participants now lead accessibility initiatives within churches, civic organizations, and local government offices, forming a growing network of disability advocates committed to ethical leadership across Metro Manila. For Grace, this was multiplication in action: leaders equipped to reach communities whose needs they understand firsthand, demonstrating the gospel with wisdom and dignity.
Today, Grace mentors emerging leaders in ethical leadership, challenges public officials toward good governance, and speaks in civic and professional spaces where values shape decisions. She invests deeply in leaders with disabilities and other emerging influencers, encouraging them to lead with credibility, integrity, and faith within their own spheres of influence.
The girl who once hid her disability behind a microphone now equips others to step visibly into leadership, multiplying voices of integrity across communities, institutions, and public life throughout the Philippines.
Written by Zoë Webb
