Tribute to Natividad Clavano

Dear Dra. Clavano,

You have lived a great life, an inspiration for us whom you left behind to continue the struggle for the rights
of mothers and babies for the protection of breastfeeding.
Most admirable was your being a doctor- warrior who spoke strongly against the abuses of the multinational milk companies in either media interviews or in any arena of learning. You have reached 2 Senates to testify on the unethical milk marketing correlating your intensive research studies that bespeaks of bottlefeeding menace that wreak thousands of lives. The first one was at the USA Senate Inquiry under Senator Ted Kennedy 3 decades ago and lately at the Philippine Senate on the Milk Code Inquiry.

I can never forget how you bravely told the story on how Nestle officials tried to bribe you in Geneva meeting
in exchange for stopping your breastfeeding research study that became a global reference. And how you rejected them in disgrace.
Also, how you kept saying that the enormous work you have done was first recognized by the international community and only after that the local recognition came later.
God is the witness to your valuable work.
I am blessed to have worked with you at the last trainings you gave for the UNICEF initiated testing of the breastfeeding manual in Tagaytay and Davao 2 years ago. I vividly remembered your advise with regards to poster making addressed to me and Jing in your house in Baguio: "Mapaiba naman" (make it different). You showed an article from the Inquirer about ads impact. Then you got some banner photos of breastfeeding mothers and remarked that " sawa na ang public seeing the same photos" and you brought out the slide where yellowish milk colostrum drips and you said," tingnan mo this has an impact, people will pay attention
to this precious life saving mother´s milk" . I told myself that if I got the chance with funds, indeed I will make use of this colostrum poster and create one for the public.

And how you pointed to me while I was giving lecture on breastfeeding and working women management,
you corrected me that there is no need to sterilize the cup in keeping the preserved breastmilk. The cup just needs to be washed with soap and water and kept clean. You emphasized to the participants that it is the artificial rubber teat that is the culprit of contamination.
In Davao, I could sense the frailness of your health but you persevered and continue to 2 do things simultaneously hopping from one training to the other as resource person for the breastfeeding seminar and the nutrition event.
You are a character that no one can match. Full of life despite vulnerabilities. Unafraid of giants.

As you jokingly said, " I am small but like big, look at my husband, and I like big study to undertake thousands of respondents".
Dato Anwar Fazal pioneering founder of  WABA and IBFAN described you as " a tiny woman but moved mountains".

In sadness and in sympathy, we pray for your peaceful journey in heaven. Knowing fully well that you will be our  guardian angel and guide the  Supreme Court Justices  to see the pot of gold in breastfeeding not the green bucks of the milk companies and prod them to sign the passage of the final verdict on the revised IRR of the MIlk Code( en toto) as Christmas gift. Sorry Dra. Clavano even if you are already in heaven you still have favors to bring for us.

Innes in behalf of the Filipino mothers and babies and the world´s activists for food- health security and sovereignty.