The yellow sale is back

MANILA, Philippines - Building on the successful pilot run of the three-day bazaar at Tiendesitas last year, the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF), with the support of Directories Philippines Corporation (DPC) through the Electronic Yellow Pages (eyp.ph), is holding Yellow Sale 2011 at Megatrade Hall 3, SM Megamall from Nov. 28 to 30.

“Yellow Sale got a very positive response last year,” says Rafael C. Lopa, NCAF president. “Both buyers and sellers liked the concept of a pre-Christmas bazaar that highlights the true spirit of giving by providing opportunities for those most in need.”

Yellow Sale 2011 merchandise will include iamninoy-iamcory and “We Can Be Anything” (WCBA) shirts, bags, neckties, scarves, and knick-knacks from NCAF’s retail partners. Part of every purchase will go to the corresponding partner’s chosen beneficiary.

By producing cool merchandise, retail partners like Bench, The T-Shirt Project, Bayo, My Goodie Bag, Tieline, and Rudy Project have made it possible for young Filipinos to contribute to worthy causes simply by purchasing these products.

Early this year, NCAF appointed apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas as the iamninoy-iamcory special ambassador for education. This partnership spawned the “We Can Be Anything” advocacy campaign, which underscores the value of education among the youth and seeks to boost the consolidated private sector effort to build 10,000 public school classrooms within two years. Purchases of WCBA merchandise will support this advocacy.

Yellow Sale 2011 will also feature merchandise from guest organizations, such as religious artifacts from the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service, indigenous mountain coffee blends from Tanging Yaman Foundation, fashion bags made of material derived from water hyacinth from Jacinto and Lirio, and knitted or sewn products from microfinance clients of ASA Philippines Foundation.

“We are supporting Yellow Sale because it represents what the DPC Yellow Pages is all about: enhancing opportunities for buyers and sellers to come together,” explains Ricardo D. Bautista, DPC president. “It gives us special pleasure to support socially responsible businesses and social entrepreneurs, who are able to find viable market solutions to problems afflicting our society.”

DPC is making available its shopnow@eyp.ph facility to give Yellow Sale merchants a platform to continue selling online during and even after the bazaar. “Through Yellow Sale Online, we hope to help make participating small enterprises more sustainable,” Bautista adds. “After all, the spirit of giving should continue to flow even after the Christmas season.”

As part of Yellow Sale’s participation in the Social Enterprise exhibit, NCAF and DPC are organizing two of the sessions in the Social Entrepreneurship Forum series, sponsored by PEF, at the stage area of Megatrade Hall 3. These are: “Bringing Social Enterprises Online” with Doji Lopez, VP for New Media, DPC, today, Nov. 29, 10:30 a.m. and “Is There Space for the Youth in Social Enterprise?” with young social entrepreneur Noreen Bautista of Jacinto & Lirio and Fr. Xavier Alpasa, SJ of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, tomorrow, Nov. 30, 1 p.m.