The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday ordered Isabela Governor Grace Padaca to vacate her post and allow rightful winner, former governor Benjamin Dy, to assume the post.

“Wherefore, the Commission Second Division resolves… to grant the instant petition; to annul the proclamation of protestee; and to direct the protestee to vacate the office of the provincial governor of Isabela and relinquish the same to protestant,” the Comelec's Second Division said in its 12-page decision.

Dy, a known ally of the Arroyo government and is the official candidate of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, for his part, welcomed Comelec’s decision.

“I am glad that the Comelec saw basis of glaring election fraud in Isabela as evident by the markings on the ballots. Furthermore, thousands of ballots with the same handwritings in favor of my opponent in several contested precincts were also presented that deprived my candidacy of the needed votes to win in the 2007 elections,” Dy said in a statement.

Based on the resolution, Dy had a lead of 1,051 votes or a total of 199,435 against Padaca’s 198,384.

The result was a huge turnaround from the 17,007 victory of Padaca in the 2007 gubernatorial race.

It can be recalled that Dy had accused Padaca of election fraud and eventually protested the results in 13 of the 35 towns of Isabela, including its capital Ilagan.

The commission has given the camp of Padaca five days to file their motion for reconsideration while the legal counsel of Dy will move for the immediate release of the writ of execution.