Samira Gutoc


Samira Ali Gutoc-Tomawis is a Filipino journalist, environmentalist, women's advocate, and legislator. She served as a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission which was tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
She established Ranao Rescue Team, a volunteer group who helps civilians displaced by the Battle of Marawi offering relief missions to civilians.
Gutoc-Tomawis is the founder of Asian Peace Alliance associated with Asia-Pacific Peace Research Association and writes for Asian Muslim Action Network.
She is a member of the Liberal Party.
She lives in Marawi City, belongs to the Maranao ethnic group and a follower of Islam.

Early life and education

She earned her Bachelor of Arts Communication Major in Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines Diliman where she became the president of UP Muslim Students Association and the Metro Manila-wide Muslim Youth and Students Alliance. She then earned a Master's in International Studies from the University of the Philippines Center for International Studies in UP Diliman then earned a Law Degree from Arellano University School of Law in 2006.
She is currently a columnist in The Philippine Business and News with a column title "A Girl From Marawi" which comes out every Saturday.

Awards

She also received a fellowship from the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. She was awarded by the United Nations Development Programme the 2018 N-Peace Award for her activism.

Political career

On October 11, 2018, Gutoc-Tomawis announced and filed her candidacy for senator for the incoming May 2019 election in the Philippines. She is a member of the political ensemble Otso Diretso, which is an opposition coalition against the ruling government.
She signaled her agenda for peace education, divorce, Muslim rights, women's rights, and children's rights. She is against the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility and has taken the position against the ongoing Martial Law in Mindanao along with Liberal Party.
On July 19, 2019, the PNP–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges against Gutoc and other members of the opposition for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice".