SOCIEDAD Española de Beneficencia (SEB) recently staged the second edition of its own version of El Rastro, a bazaar that aims to raise funds for its various projects here in the country.
SEB Executive Director Laura San Jose said their annual event, staged in White Space in Makati City this year, is patterned after the famous open-air flea market in Madrid that carries the same name.
“We had 37 exhibitors this year whom we have contacted or have known about our event through word of mouth. This year, there are a lot of accessories, clothes, shoes and giveaways that are on sale,” San Jose said.
San Jose added that they encouraged the exhibitors to provide better prices on the items they are selling while, at the same time, she said that they want to take advantage of the Filipinos fondness for bazaars, especially during the Christmas season.
The one-day event featured a performance from the Children’s Joy Foundation Inc. choir composed of orphaned children.
The SEB, established in 1948, is a non-governmental organization which gets funding from the Spanish government.
SEB currently takes care of Spanish citizens in the country who are at least 60 years old and having no immediate families. Among the services it provides include medical assistance, hospitalization and burial assistance.
It is also conducting regular medical and dental missions, along with feeding programs, in select barangays in the country.
Currently, Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Luis Antonio Calvo is its honorary president.
Image credits: Alysa Salen