Samira Gutoc was born on 19 December 1974 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where her father, a diplomat, was posted at the time. She spent much of her early life in Saudia Arabia but eventually moved back to her home country, to study at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she earned a BA in Broadcast Communication. During her time at university, she was president of the University of the Philippines Muslim Students Association and the Metro Manila-wide Youth and Students Alliance. After completing her BA, Samira continued her studies, eventually obtaining a Masters in International Studies and a Bachelor’s in Law. Samira’s professional life began in politics, holding a variety of positions over the years, including Officer in Charge of the 7th ARMM Assembly and membership on the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which was tasked with helping to form the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. On October 11, 2018, she filed her candidacy for her first election position, running for Senator in the May 2019 election in the Liberal Party-led opposition called Otso Diretso. Samira ran on an agenda of peace eduction, divorce rights, Muslim rights, women’s rights, and children’s rights. She is a vocal advocate against the draconian legislation of the Duterte administration and was ultimately accused of being linked to a video series that allegedly contained “false information meant to rally people against the Duterte administration”. In addition to her political work, Samira also founded the Asian Peace Alliance and the Ranao Rescue Team, which helped citizens displaced by the Battle of Malawi. She was also awarded the 2018 N-Peace Award by UNDP and a fellowship from the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies.