MANILA, Philippines ? My childhood memories of our various house pets are quite amusing.

My mother is ever fearful of dogs, since she was bitten as a child and had to undergo multiple tetanus shots. My father, on the other hand, loves dogs and all kinds of creatures from monkeys and snakes to iguanas and parrots. Many times, he?d come home with a stray dog or cat and nurse it back to health.

In my own family, I want my children to love animals, so when my little Athena was old enough, we shopped around for a family dog. After weeks of scouting around Cartimar and Tiendesitas, my older daughter Annika settled for a white crossbreed of a Maltese and Cocker Spaniel. We called him Phantom.

A few weeks after we bought Phantom, the dog shop owner called with some sort of seller?s remorse at having sold us a dandified askal. He was giving us a free teacup Shi Tzu. We wanted a matching name to Phantom, and so decided on Oprah ? as in ?Phantom of the...?

Oprah was with me on the cover of the December issue of Town & Country. She is our showbiz dog. She stole the limelight from me again when I walked down the ramp for the Sixth Alpo Puppy Festival. Even with my oversized, neon orange gown by fashion designer JC Buendia, she managed to get louder applause from the dog-loving crowd.

Canine fashionistas

The SM Mall of Asia was alight with puppies, pooches, furry canine fashionistas and dog lovers, all there for a day of furry fashion and puppy pampering. The four-legged beauties all gathered to witness the launch of the all-new Alpo 2-in-1 Puppy, the latest product innovation from Alpo. It offers pups delicious food variety ? it can be prepared either wet or dry, so pets don?t get tired of their food.

Before the main event, Jojo Iserona, also known as ?The Dog Whisperer,? a canine trainer and dog specialist from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), gave an insightful talk on topics like choosing the right dog for one?s lifestyle, basic puppy training and proper feeding.

Gracing the event were Nestlé executives led by Sandra Puno, SVP and communications director, and her team, Ruth Novales, Maria Angela Operaña, Eileen Bangcoro and Jay Janobas.

A puppy fashion show with a twist was the main highlight, as puppies sashayed down the runway wearing costumes made from Alpo 2-in-1 Puppy packaging. One winning puppy was chosen for each category: Top Puppy Model, Puppy Fashionista, Posh Puppy and Puppy-genic.

The Top Puppy Model was Nanan, a pug owned by Harold Beatrizola. Celebrity judge Joanne Quintas gave Harold and Nanan the P10,000 cash prize, a trophy and a special dog tag.

Steven Tan, SM MOA AVP for Operations, made sure I had a hassle-free, post-event shopping experience using my HSBC card. For those that still don?t have an HSBC credit card, now is the perfect time to get one, to avail of its latest promo.

From now until the end of July, an approved new card gets you 50-percent off a My|Screen LCD TV. To make it sweeter, the unit is payable on installment over 18 months at zero-percent interest.

HSBC promos are always great. Imagine a 22-in. LCD at only P639 a month for 18 months! The My|Screen LCD can also be wall-mounted or placed on a desktop, as it also functions as a computer monitor. And the TV can be delivered to your place.

Ron Logan of HSBC Personal Financial Services also told me they are bringing back the Caltex five-percent fuel rebate program. All these promos are part of HSBC?s strategy of putting customers first, according to head of marketing Chris Rourke. HSBC has always been so supportive of my charity work, and I am their loyal customer.

Philippine Fashion Week

The HSBC credit card would be a dangerous thing to have if it were to be accepted at Philippine Fashion Week. Luckily, most of the designers? creations were on show rather than on sale.

The first show I watched was the homecoming of New York-based designer Robin Tomas. I met him there last year shortly after I completed my New York ING marathon. He approached me and told me his mom, comedienne Tessie Tomas, was filling my slot as a judge on ?Celebrity Duets.?

From fabrication and color to proportioning, his New York-flavored, understated, chic collection was just perfect. It may not have been cohesive, but each design had his unique and original detailing. It?s luxewear with influences of American design.

Robin?s metallic brocade, short, barrel-shaped skirts and tailored pants were all winners. After the show, his famous mom, Tessie, handed Robin flowers and was beaming with pride and delight.

Promising future

Another set of proud parents, or should I say, stage parents, was designer Sassa Jimenez?s folks, Abby and Mon, of ad agency fame. They had personally invited me to see their daughter?s second big fashion show.

Burlesque goddess Dita Von Teese was the inspiration for Sassa?s holiday collection, with touches of wartime ?40s garb. Even the details of the hair and makeup had that touch of the ?40s.

This young lady has quite a promising fashion design career ahead of her. Both Abby and Mon have every right to be proud stage parents.

That same day was also the fashion show of talented designer Oliver Tolentino. He has been making outfits for me for many years now, from the time we were introduced to each other by stage actress Pinky Amador. Oliver?s collection was ranked really high by the fashion police ? oops, I mean press corps.

Another highly applauded designer was Michael Cinco, whose every creation featured endless sparkles of Swarovski crystals and yards of flowing chiffon. Also part of the entire week were designers like Chris Diaz and Len Nepomuceno-Guiao, both part of the Premier Collection E.

All in all, it?s great to see Philippine fashion doing so well.

I had such a great time at Fashion Week this year with fellow guests, including Imelda Marcos and US Ambassador Kristie Kenney. Of course, I must clarify that they did not come together. That would have been too much like a scene from ?Phantom of the Opera!?

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