Maranao leader and civil society advocate Samira Gutoc woke up at 3 a.m. on election day, offered a prayer, and then cast her ballot at her precinct in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, dedicating her vote to peace, to her late parents, to the religious leaders who stood with the Bangsamoro cause, and to children not yet born.
Gutoc made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program The Situation Report on Monday, September 14, appearing on the program after casting her vote, with the indelible ink still visible on her finger.
The Maranao leader described the weight of the moment as she walked to her precinct, drawing on the memory of her parents — diplomats who had spent their lives supporting the Bangsamoro cause but did not live to see this day.
“When I walked kanina, gising na ako ng alas-tres, nagsimba at pupunta ngayong alas-otso sa aking voting precinct sa Marantao, the second largest with 30,000 voters, ang paalala ko at naalala ko ang aking parents. Namatay na po sila. Kahit hindi po sila mga rebelde, naging diplomat po ang parents ko,” Gutoc said.
Gutoc said her vote was a collective offering, not just for herself but for all those who sacrificed for this moment to arrive.
“Ito po ay inalay ko sa kapayapaan, sa mga bishop, mga cardinal na sumabay, mga Mufti at Alim, at mga bata na hindi pa pinapanganak. Sir Cesar, ito na po, bumoto kami kanina. Ito na po ‘yung indelible ink,” the Maranao leader said.
She also issued an appeal on-air for voters still in line or waiting in hotspot areas not to give up their right to cast a ballot, reminding them that what they are exercising was won through five decades of peace negotiations.
“Pinaglaban ito ng 50 years na peace talks, ngayon na nasa atin na para matamasa ang gobyernong dapat nating maitindig,” Gutoc said.
