MANILA, Philippines — Other candidates may have invested in flashy political advertisements, but for civic leader Samira Gutoc, the stories of Marawi siege victims will serve as an inspiration for her campaign.
“Wala akong billboard pero ang kwento ninyo ang billboard ko. Wala akong advertisement, ang advertisement ko ang kwento niyo. Ang kayamanan ko, ang kwento ng mga katutubo,” Gutoc said on Tuesday during a Muslim prayer rally in Caloocan City.
The civic leader also appealed to the public to not forget the victims of Marawi siege.
“Dapat hindi na natin makalimutan ang one thousand dead. Kamusta yung mga na-displace? How are they? Returned to normalcy is far from normal,” she said.
Gutoc also took pride of her educational background despite her lack of popularity.
“Wala akong malaking pangalan kundi credibilidad. Nag-aral naman ako sa Oxford at sa UP,” Gutoc said.
Gutoc was referring to her degrees in Communications and International Studies at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and fellowship at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.