THIS YEAR’S Pink October has been the most memorable for me because of the Pink Runway held last Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, at the SM City Davao Annex Event Center.
Since 2012, I have been joining the Rotary Club of Downtown Davao (RCDD) in all of its Pink October celebrations first as a Rotakid (child of a Rotarian), then as an honorary Rotarian, and later as a full-fledged Rotarian during the pandemic.
This year, I am proud to serve as the club’s vice-president.Pink October, the global campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness, has been a signature project of RCDD for 13 years now.
From a little event participated in by just Rotarians and their friends, Pink October is now a city-wide event that draws in all sectors in the community.
In 2023, the City Government of Davao officially declared the month of October as Pink October in the city through a City Council Resolution and a Proclamation by the City Mayor. Because of this, Pink October is starting to broaden its reach and impact not only in Davao City but beyond. Also in 2023, RCDD started to partner with SM City Davao and SM Cares for Pink October.
That year, Senator Bato Dela Rosa and Councilor Pilar C. Braga unveiled the big pink ribbon at SM City. Pioneer functional medicine doctor in the Philippines, Dr. Rolando “Oyie” Balburias, gave a health talk on preventing and treating breast cancer using the functional medicine approach.
In 2024, RCDD and SM Cares staged “Beautiful Girl” — a musical concert by the Davao Girls Choir celebrating the beauty and strength of every breast cancer survivor. This unique Pink October concert delighted our BreastFriends community and they joked that next year it will be their turn to perform on stage.
Inspired by that, RCDD and SM Cares thought of staging a unique fashion show this year featuring women living with breast cancer and their advocates and we called it Pink Runway.
The idea for Pink Runway started when my friend, Atty. Pearl Jayagan Turley, program director for women of SM Cares, said she wanted something fun and innovative to promote breast cancer awareness, instead of the usual health forum talks.
I immediately asked RCDD honorary member Oca Casaysay, who also heads the Davao City Office for Culture and Arts, for help. Last year’s “Beautiful Girl” was also a collaboration of the three of us — Pearl, Oca, and me.
We tapped our Pink October partner, the BreastFriends, to be our models and muses. At first, we’re not sure of their response, if they were willing to do it and share their stories.
Fortunately, they were very enthusiastic and told us they were looking for something like this in their lives. This fashion show would not only shine the light on breast cancer patients, survivors, and their advocates, it would also showcase the creativity of our local fashion designers in promoting sustainable fashion.
Because preventing cancer means pursuing a sustainable way of living, Pink Runway is a challenge for designers to “up-cycle” (level up recycling) outfits and accessories of the runway models.
A significant bulk of the waste in our landfills are discarded clothing items so up-cycling helps the environment and using natural fabrics and non-toxic materials will help us to be cancer-free.
Oca called on three of his designer friends to respond to the Pink Runway challenge. Susan Magno Antepuesto of Isadora, who is leading the fashion up-cycling movement here in Davao, designed Ready-to-Wear outfits and accessories. Neil Patrick Jimlani designed the Street Wear outfits while Mark Joseph Sayad designed the Avant-Garde gowns.
Their designs were fabulously modeled by 13 women from the BreastFriends community who said “yes” to our invitation: Sandra Sison; Loida Antoque; Mariane Tan; Sheila Ferrer; Daisy Balbarino; Jocie Agting; Ella Florida; Teresa Dela Cruz; Ana Rita Llavan; Aubrey Cua; Aileen Mendez; Esperanza Padrino; and Leeway Cruz.
They have all been diagnosed with breast cancer in different stages. Some of them walked the runway with only one breast. Some of them are still undergoing treatment and the rest are under monitoring.
BreastFriends founder and leader Raquel P. Alinsub is so happy for her sisters to model designer outfits that she mobilized her hair and makeup artist friends to be their glam team for the big day.
And what a professional team she has assembled with Wyndell Samuya; Xenon Orellanida; Dee Gracia; James Diaz; Rey Albacite; and Michael Cordova. Before the models walked the runway, videos of them talking about their experience battling with breast cancer were shown for better appreciation of the audience.
Simply Gray Studio generously shared their space so we can record the models’ stories and Ringo Tagalog helped record and edit the final cut.
Everyone who witnessed the Pink Runway was deeply moved — they cried and laughed with them while listening to them tell their stories and cheered loudly as they walked the runway all glammed up in their designer outfits. The models’ transformation — their up-cycled clothes and their glow-ups — into something new represents their own pink journey.
The inner strength it took to bring them to that stage is remarkable and watching them confidently sashay their hearts out with the whole community celebrating them and with them is so beautiful.
This is why we have Pink October, we need to have moments like this. We are grateful to our fellow Rotarians and friends who said yes when we invited them to walk the runway with our women with breast cancer, a creative expression of solidarity.
They are women leaders whose own journeys inspire other advocates: Dr. Marion Bosquit; Davao City Prosecutor Jhopee Avanceña; Mutya ng Davao 1997 Jambie Austria Del Rosario; Rotary District 3860 Past Assistant Governor Jannette Valderosa; Rotarian Masae Kondo; and RCDD Past President Vilma Kho. They were content to play supporting roles just to assure our BreastFriends that they do not walk alone.
Rotary International District 3860 Governor Angel “Jong” Fernandez and Past District Governor Twinkle Gamboa were also content to be in the audience basking in the light of the models and celebrating their triumph.
Even RCDD Pink October 2025 Chair and Past President Bolyn Puno was overwhelmed with the community response to the event.
Pink Runway is, indeed, a testament that one can still thrive and live life with creativity and joy even with breast cancer. We were all truly inspired by our fierce and fabulous models. Let us all walk with them in solidarity as a community, on and off the Pink Runway even long after Pink October ends.
