A MARAWI siege survivor, Samira Gutoc, became the first candidate of the opposition to file her certificate of candidacy under the Liberal Party (LP).
Gutoc said there was no hesitation on her part to run under the opposition banner.
“I am making my stand as the first opposition candidate to file today and because I am not afraid. I am not afraid to be heard. I am not afraid to step to Manila miles and miles away from Marawi so that the voices of the southern Philippines that for 25 years have been denied in the Senate,” said Gutoc.
She said she wants to run for senator in order to give voice to the victims of natural and man-made calamities.
She said she is more than qualified to advocate for concerns of calamity victims, as she has experienced their sufferings.
“Many of our concerns such as displacement, discrimination, peace building, relief access, all of which, I believe, can be brought into the consciousness of Filipinos,” said Gutoc.
Aside from LP, Gutoc said she also aims to represent women, indigenous people, Muslims, and other minority sectors.
“I stand firm as a candidate and possibly the first Maranao woman senator of the Republic of the Philippines,” she added. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)