MANILA, Philippines - Happy Easter! This is indeed a perfect, bright day for us to embrace hope and happiness. For our family, we are expecting a new member any day now and just like the coming of Easter, we are filled with joy and eagerly anticipate the gift of life.

Inquirer beauty expert and my sister-in-law, Ria Prieto, will be a first-time mom any day now. In my role as the Department of Health’s Breastfeeding Idol ng Bayan, I strongly encourage her to nurse her child and make her fully aware of the tremendous benefits of breast milk. I hooked her up with breastfeeding champion Buding Dee (tel. 0917-8920195), a feeding counselor and a hip mom who also sells the coolest mommy-and-baby gear.

From an audience of one, I moved to a session for 500 buntis women. The Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, Southern Mindanao Chapter (POGS SMC), through its president, Dr. Maribina Lim, invited me to be the guest speaker of the 5th National Buntis Day in Davao two weeks ago.

Did you know there’s a National Buntis Day? Yup, each year all the pregnant women in our country are honored with a Pambansang Araw ng Buntis. And no, the day is not sponsored by infant-formula companies or by condoms. It was instead sponsored by the government and companies interested in promoting breastfeeding, such as the producers of Natalac, an all-natural malunggay pill that increases breast milk.

Land of ‘suha’

Flying to the land of suha is always a pleasure since it is my favorite fruit. I was able to fly in the day before and spend a night in Davao’s premiere hotel, the Marco Polo Hotel. The hotel has upgraded its amenities and accommodations, and I noticed a new spa under construction. I just love to note when businesses are reinvesting in themselves—it shows that they are not only doing well, but they have also high expectations for the future. And the personalized service of the Marco Polo is, as usual, quite commendable.

Davao City is so peaceful and clean! There was a strange, unusual smell that I noted upon landing though—which I quickly realized was the scent of durian, one of Davao’s famous fruits. And to think the fruit is actually off-season now, so the smell was nothing compared to its peak around September. They say the durian smells like hell but tastes like heaven. I’ll stay away from hell, thank you.

At the airport, I was warmly met with welcome banners. The doctors of the POGS SMC are the most hospitable ladies and they attended to my every need. They arranged every single detail for my comfort. They knew I loved seafood and made sure that I had a sumptuous feast at the Waterfront Hotel for dinner.

‘Buntis’ Day

On Buntis Day, the SM City Davao Event Center was filled with pregnant women and even some good husbands. After the formal introduction by Dr. Eleonor Palabyab, I delivered my speech that was more of a story of my personal experiences, from being a mother for over two decades and always sharing the many benefits of breastfeeding over that time.

Several other informative doctors explained to the audience the delivery and care of the baby. It was wonderful to have this free event for the mothers who are at a crucial time for their pregnancy.

In Davao, there are a large number of home births or midwife-assisted births. So it is good to inform these moms about the signs and conditions of early labor. The lectures were pretty graphic, which made me think that I am so glad that I am done with all my baby-making.

Home for teenage moms

Babies bring sunshine and laughter to any miserable situation. At the Substitute Home Care for Women, teenage mothers as young as 13 are given shelter and protection thanks to the DSWD and the volunteer doctors of POGS. I was so moved with the attention and compassion given by these doctors that I have pledged some of the remaining funds from my “Celebrity Duets” winnings to them.

The center is ironically across the city jail. The good and the bad are just separated by a street named City Jail Road. Davao City’s Mayor Duterte is known for his unique, “Dirty Harry” methods of law enforcement here. It seems to work in Davao! And just like in Makati City, there is no smoking in public areas and every individual can report smokers directly to the police.

This newspaper has believed in Davao’s safety and conditions for many years and put up its own printing press here in 2000. This way, readers all over Mindanao get their Inquirer earlier than any other broadsheet and even on days when typhoons ground all flights and no other newspapers get here.

After all the activities and side tours, I headed home on my very nicely on-time PAL flight. I was glad the turbulence-free trip was pleasant. I must say the Davao International Airport is so much more impressive than the one we have in Manila.

Crocs gig

The next day, I was back to my social events. I hosted the Crocs Spring Summer Collection 2008 in Bonifacio High Street at The Fort. The amazing shoes are the most comfortable footwear ever created. This stylishly funky bright footwear is made from Croslite, a special material that is slip- and odor-resistant, antimicrobial and non-marking. They also mold to one’s feet.

Crocs has just come out with heels so I would like to be one of the first to head to the shop and get all colors. It is strange to have a pair of shoes that have heels and yet are still comfortable. After every 10K race I run, Crocs are the first things I put on my aching feet after my Nikes come off.

Earth Hour

As I end this Easter column, let me put in a plug on behalf of my brother-in-law, Dave Valdes, president of the World Wildlife Fund. Dave encourages all of us to join Earth Hour on March 29. On that day, at 8 p.m., all of us are asked to shut off all our lights and other electrical usage for one hour. Sign up at www.earthhour.org.

Launched in Australia last year, Earth Hour moved 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses in Sydney to join, reducing the city’s energy by 10 percent for one hour. This just goes to show that an individual can indeed have great impact on our world. And that’s a perfect thought for Easter, isn’t it?

E-mail the author at seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph