Byline: SHERYL G. LAUDATO

The International Bazaar Foundation (IBF) continues to spread the joy of giving on its 40th year with a oneaday bazaar at the PICC Forum, Cultural Center of the Philippines complex on Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, on Sunday, Nov. 19.

The IBF, the social arm

This year's bazaar will be participated by 38 members of the diplomatic corps, eight members of the consular corps, and 150 local participants chaired by Rosie Lovely Romulo, wife of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Sec. Alberto Romulo. The "Ladies of DFA" shall be joined by Cabinet spouses, and volunteers from the private sector.

Participating embassies are -- Chile, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Belgium, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, among others.

The yearly shopping extravaganza , to open from 9 a.m.a7 p.m., will feature delicate Thai silk, fine wine from the best wineamaking regions, unique and precious jewelry, decorative Murano plates, traditional hand-woven Bedouin tapestry, Filipiniana art pieces, and home furnishings from the farthest corners of the world.

Representatives of the Russian Embassy will showcase Russian-type jewelry made in Cebu with materials such as fiber, thread, metal, terra cotton, seashells, exotic wood, glass, acrylic resin, and chains.

Singapore representative Robinson Uy will offer a wide selection of meats such as bakkwa, which are fats sliced, marinated, and smoked in an oven; strips of bacon called gourmet bakkwa; crispy pork floss, a crunchy snack that goes with beer or wine; and chiziban, a crispy version of bakakwa made from porkloin, atbp.

Spain's gift baskets will be on sale, costing from R400. to R3,500, including a line of imported consumer products such as soap, cologne, among others.

French representatives will offer wines from the rich vineyards of France such as Bordelais, Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Valles du Rhone, and the Loire Valley.

From Pamora farm, a EuropeanaFilipino joint venture in Abra Province, come special chickens from SASSO (Selection Avicle de la Sarthe et du SudaOuest), a company in France.

These include whole dressed chicken (frozen), spring chicken (frozen), special chicken (fed with milk and yellow corn), preserved chicken liver pate plain, preserved chicken liver, and gizzard pate confit, preserved chicken gizzard pate confit, preserved chicken gizzard adobo, and chicken eggs.

Under Mrs. Romulo are three committees for IBF -- the Education Committee which receives 35% of the proceeds; the Medical Assistance Committee, 35%, and the Livelihood Committee, 30% of the annual income generated from the international bazaar and from donations of its benefactors.

"This year, the Education Committee gave financial assistance to 30 scholars in the secondary and tertiary levels as well as scholars in specialized courses. The IBF is proud of the fact that there are 274 scholars who have graduated as scholars since 1995, the years of its incorporation until the present," Mrs. Romulo said.

Mrs. Romulo has been chairing the IBF since 2004.

"The proceeds will help fund IBF's projects such as scholarships, donations of medical equipment to various hospitals, medical and dental missions, livelihood training programs for women and outaof-school youth, and donations to calamityastricken families. So, we hope that everyone will be generous in helping to make the bazaar an astounding success so that the joy of giving will be felt by the members of the Philippine society who are most in need of assistance," IBF pres. Sylvia Farolan said.

The IBF was organized in 1966 by Angela ValdezaRamos, wife of then DFA Sec. Narciso Ramos and mother of former president Fidel Ramos.