29 November 2013– Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas received on November 26, at the Embassy Chancery,  representatives from Ruta BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.) with their donation of 40 tents and two portable generators for the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). The donations will be sent to the Philippine Red Cross through the LBC Foundation.

Ruta BBVA was established in 1979 with the aim of forging bonds between young people aged 16 and 17 in all Spanish-speaking countries, as well as Brazil and Portugal. It is a program under the auspices of Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Ibero-America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. In addition, it is backed by the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), and with the cooperation of many Spanish and Ibero-American institutions and agencies.

Ruta BBVA is an "initiatory,” “enlightened" and “scientific” program in which culture and adventure come together. To date, nearly 8,000 young people from Europe, the Americas and countries such as Morocco, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines and China have had the opportunity to discover the human, geographic and historical dimensions of other cultures.

Filipino students who are residents of Spain benefit from this program. In 2012, Marylhan Aquino Mendoza, a Filipino student based in Madrid, participated in the program. END