Pinoyspotting in Malta
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The author visits the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pina in Gharb, Malta. (Photo courtesy of Rey E. de la Cruz)
The author (kneeling) is greeted by his tourmates upon arrival in Luqa, Malta, which is the 125th country he has visited. (Photo courtesy of Rey E. de la Cruz)
Above all, I was with a wonderful Gate 1 Discovery Tours group under the leadership of Marisa Seghezzi. We took a 40-minute flight from Catania in Sicily, Italy, to Luqa, Malta, on September 13, 2024. To my surprise, when we went out of the airport, my tourmates greeted me with signs congratulating me for having Malta as the 125th country I have visited. Susan Turchin of New York City organized the event because she knew how important Malta was on my travel list.
Malta is not complete without randomly meeting Pinoys. I found them in the hotel where we stayed and the restaurants where we dined. I also met a Pinay in a souvenir shop. As expected, we expressed warmth and delight when we met.
Rose Gonzales (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
When we were checking in at the Victoria Hotel in Sliema, Malta, I was surprised when front-office representative Rose Gonzales (Calamba, Laguna) started talking to me in Tagalog. She informed me that Pinoys were working in the hotel.
Leonie Gerodias (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
When we entered The Tabloid Restaurant in Sliema, we were greeted by Leonie Gerodias (Cebu). She showed us the different dishes available in the buffet.
Sharp Mar Inventor (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
One of the waiters at The Tabloid Restaurant was Sharp Mar Inventor (Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental). He said he arrived in Malta a few months ago.
Marvin Dumas (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
When I was having breakfast at the Victoria Hotel in Sliema, I met waiter Marvin Dumas (Candelaria, Quezon).
Jelena Caones (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
Jelena Caones (Alangalang, Leyte) is a front-office representative at The Victoria Hotel in Sliema.
John Calubayan (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
We spent a day on the island of Gozo. John Calubayan (Sampaloc, Quezon) was the lone waiter at the Maldonado Bistro Gozo, where we had lunch, in Rabat Ghawdex, Malta.
Darlyn Sinamban Buttigeag (Photo by Rey E. de la Cruz)
I entered The Bastions Souvenir in Mdna, and met the manager, Darlyn Sinamban Buttigeag (Mexico, Pampanga).
The author wishes to thank Dexjordi Lyle Sison for his assistance in the photos.
Rey E. de la Cruz, Ed.D., Positively Filipino correspondent, writes from Chicagoland when he is not loving the arts and longing for his hometown in the Philippines: Ballesteros, Cagayan. He was the first documented film student (University of the Philippines) and high-school film teacher (San Beda University) in the Philippines. An educationalist, he originated and disseminated the use of the ancient Philippine board game sungka as a teaching strategy. He was awarded the Gawad Balagtas for Drama in Filipino by UMPIL, the Philippines’ largest organization of writers, “for his pioneering creative spirit that imagined and expanded what can be possible for today’s modern theater.” Far-out dreams, visionary storytelling, and bold theatricality defined the plays he wrote and directed.
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