Ex-Otso Diretso senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc joins Aksyon Demokratiko

MANILA, Philippines — Samira Gutoc, who mounted a failed senatorial bid under the opposition slate Otso Diretso in 2019, has joined the national executive board of Aksyon Demokratiko, the political party announced Friday.

“Aksyon's focus on jobs, hunger, peace, empowerment of the masses and of the youth resonated quite powerfully with me, as these are the same objectives I have set for my work,” Gutoc said.

Aksyon Demokratiko chairperson Ernest Ramel said Gutoc is a “perfect fit” for the party, given her track record in public service.

Aksyon Demokratiko Secretary General Leon Flores III said Gutoc’s affiliation with the party goes way back as she was the speaker of the party’s youth arm during its first national conference in 1998.

Gutoc, a former lawmaker in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is the latest politician to transfer to Aksyon Demokratiko following Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, who was elected as the party’s new president.

Gutoc placed 25th in the 2019 polls where no one from the opposition slate managed to clinch a seat in the Senate. — Xave Gregorio