Now with Isko's party, Samira Gutoc takes second run at Senate seat
MANILA, Philippines — Former Otso Diretso senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc is gunning for the Senate once more, this time under political party Aksyon Demokratiko.
Gutoc, a former member of the legislature of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, formalized her second run as she filed her certificate of candidacy at the Sofitel grounds on Sunday afternoon.
Her new political affiliation puts her in the same party as Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, who is running for president alongside running mate Dr. Willie Ong.
Moreno, who said he hoped Gutoc would represent Muslims in the Senate, has not filed his COC. He is expected to do so on Monday.
A broad opposition in the Senate does not equate to a homogenous Senate. We need varying perspectives, but of course there are non-negotiables. Let us engage & build bridges for the generations to come. We owe it to them to leave the world better. Always ask, development for who?
— Samira Gutoc (@GutocSamira) September 30, 2021
Gutoc, a former member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission that worked on the draft of what would become the Bangsamoro Organic Law, said at her Aksyon Demokratiko oath-taking in late September that she hoped to get elected as a senator to help with the health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
The BTC helped pave the way for the government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the region that replaced ARMM. Prior to her stint at the BTC, Gutoc was a member of the ARMM's Regional Legislative Assembly.
The Maranao civic leader ran for a Senate seat in the 2019 elections under opposition slate Otso Diretso.
She placed 25th and none of the slate's picks clinched a seat in the upper chamber. — with a report from Xave Gregorio
- Latest
- Trending
