By Bong Pedalino

Maasin City (July 7) -- The ever lowly and humble malunggay will certainly take center stage this month, being the mandated annual observance of July as nutrition month, and the club-shaped vegetable's nutritious benefits will again be widely talked about, especially in Mothers' classes and health lectures.

Thus far, however, nothing beats the unusual revelation of one of the country's high-profile political figures who swore by the gods of Mt. Olympus, and other gods for that matter, that without this seemingly inconsequential food he would not have a baby by now.

To cut it short, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, in a tounge-in-check testimony of some sort, attributed his being a father now to his mega-faith in "malunggay" as a great enhancer of his fertility.

"My wife just gave birth last June 7, and I will tell you a secret how I was able to have a baby. It's because of malunggay," Senator Zubiri revealed last week during the opening of the agro fair at the forested area of the capitol sunken garden where he was the guest speaker.

The agro fair was one of the activities for the 48th July 1 founding anniversary of the province of Southern Leyte.

Zubiri narrated how he was "baby-less" two years ago after having been married, and that he had gone practically to every nook and cranny of the globe searching for a solution to his longing for a baby.

Then one day last year he read about a published article that expounds the many benefits of malunggay, and what struck him most was the claim that it can activate a person's fertility.

From that moment on, his eating habit changed: everyday is malunggay day for the spice-boy branded Senator from Bukidnon, instructing his cook to have malunggay soup viand in the menu morning, lunch, and supper without fail.

Ginataan, law-uy, maluggay with kalabasa, malunggay with other vegetables, chicken soup with malunggay -- whatever, the meal should have that letter "m" daily, and that's an order.

The religious, Spartan eating style bore fruit, for the next month his wife's regular menstrual period did not come as expected, and the rest, they say, is history.

At a hastily assembled press conference after his talk, Zubiri revealed the other benefits of malunggay: it has 5 times vitamin content, has 3 times anti-oxidant property, and 2 times calcium content.

But to expectant fathers out there who are wishing and longing for years to have a child of their own, the nutritious content of malunggay becomes secondary to its induced fertility-enhancing power.