The Pearl of Allah

This is a story of the famed Pearl of Allah - brought forth from the depths of the Sulu Sea, cloaked in deception and lies, its birth and existence paved with the blood of those who held it, haunted by Greed at every turn, and coveted by many - it is doomed to a lifetime of darkness in private vaults whose locations will never be revealed

 

The Pearl of Allah, the Largest Pearl in the World, also called the Pearl of Lau-Tzu, or the Pearl of Lau-Tze is a porcelaneous pearl weighing 14.1 pounds, measuring 9.45 inches and currently valued at US$ 93 million. The non-nacreous pearl, whose convoluted surface reputably resembles the face of a man, was found in Oring-Oring, Brooke’s Point in 1934. Since then, it has been the center of much controversy and legal debate both in the local and international community.

Hailed as a “unique wonder of nature”, there are many versions as to the origins of the pearl, some of them too fantastic to ignore. The pearl’s journey from the shores of Palawan to the US courts, its apparent origins from China dating as far back as 6^th century B.C., to whispered tales about a curse surrounding it, only makes it more alluring and mysterious. 

 

The Clam that gave Birth to the Pearl of Allah

Kap” Mattarasal with the giant Taklobo

In Oring Oring, Brooke’s Point Hadja Aisa Alam Mattarasal and her family holds what they claim to be the original shell of the Tridacna Gigas, or Taklobo that housed the unsurpassed Pearl of Allah.

According to Hobayba, Hadja Aisa’s daughter, many years ago, Hadja Aisa’s parents were able to buy  the land where Panglima Pesi resided. When Panglime Pesi, the Chieftain left, they discovered a gigantic shell beneath his house, neglected and gathering dust. Being a voracious reader and learning from history books about the Largest Pearl in the World found in Oring-Oring, Hadja Aisa decided to take the shell to their home. Her parents would not hear of it, however, as aside from being very heavy, it had no use. Hadja Aisa insisted, however, and reasoned that far from being useless, they could use it to water their cows. It was then indeed taken to their house and for several years, stood in the elements as a watering trough for cattle. When her parents died, Hadja Aisa then took the clam along with her inheritance as the first born. 

It was in 1989, during the time of ex-Mayor Myrna Ordinario Lacanilao, that the history of Brooke’s Point and its natural wonders were first given importance. Among those unearthed was the story of the Pearl of Allah and the clam that gave birth to it. That year, during the Nutrition Month celebration, the clam was first displayed to the public and caught the attention of many people within Brooke’s Point.

  

 

The shell gained many admirers and was featured in many fairs in and around the town. At some point, half of the shell was “borrowed” from the family to be put on display. It is alleged that it may have been destroyed in a fire that ravaged the old Multipurpose Building attached to the Municipio. 

Today, the legendary Tridacna Gigas clam, claimed to have borne the gigantic pearl in its embrace sits in a dark corner of the Mattarasal kitchen, amongst knick-knacks and tidbits of everyday life. Measuring 28.5 inches by18 inches, the clam is now corroded, its countenance ravaged by time. And to think, this once mighty mollusk may have borne one of nature’s Greatest Treasures.

These days the family looks at the shell both as an heirloom and as a nuisance. Researchers, adventurers, media men and VIPs all regularly trek to their house by the seashore to see for themselves the celebrated giant clam. Kursam Mattarasal, husband to Hadja Aisa claims that it is getting more and more of a chore to time and again haul it out from the kitchen in order to show to people. It takes two grown men to pick it up and put it back in storage. Kursam or “Kap” as he is called by the people, asserts that it is not theirs to keep; it is the property of Panlima Pesi.

The local government has since looked into the possible historical value of the shell and is planning to put up a shrine where the clam can be protected from the elements and at the same time can be viewed by those who wish to see it.

The clam currently stored in the Mattarasal Kitchen

Panlima Pesi and the Largest Pearl in the World

A plaque awarded posthumously to Panglima Pesi for being the first tribal chieftain to have been appointed to the post of District President and for having discovered the Biggest Pearl in the World.

Awarded by the Local Government of Brooke’s Point on June 28, 1999

 

George Pesi (pronounced as “Peesee”) is the last surviving grandson of the tribal chieftain Panglima Pesi. In his small but orderly hut, while playing with his granddaughters, he offers a glimpse into the life and times of a grandfather he never had the fortune to meet.

Panglima Pesi, according to George, was not a native of Brooke’s Point. A full- blooded Tausug Muslim born in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines, his grandfather was awarded the title “Panglima” by Datu Narrazid, son of the mighty “King” of Sulu.⁴¹ The title, described by George, appointed his grandfather to be the “right hand of the Datu” in governing the people.

Locals recalled Panglima Pesi as a charismatic man, a highly polished Muslim who prayed to Allah five times a day. He was schooled in reading and writing in Arabic, and came to Palawan with vast hoards of gold and other riches. It has become local lore that he had gold statues in the form of Buddhas and other animals, and that people went to him for guidance and help.  It is not known if “Pesi” was his first or last name, as with common custom, once awarded the title, he was then only addressed as “Panlima Pesi”.

Once in Brooke’s Point, Panglima Pesi became the owner of vast tracts of land, described by one local as a “rancho” encompassing almost the whole of Oring Oring. Pesi took two wives. His first wife, Tanang, a native Pala’wan bore him his only child and heir, a “panimusan” or half-caste, named Usop. His second wife, Asta Ganta bore him no children. Usop then fathered six children – Sahiron, Nana, Ayong, Mehelon, Abag and George, born Ali Asgal ..

The Panglima, according to George, did not own a pearl fishing fleet. He worked the land, had vast properties of full-bearing coconut plantations, bought and sold cattle, and had an almaciga⁴⁷ concession. He bought pearls from locals and sold these in Kudat, now known as Borneo. He tilled the land, bought and sold goods, but never made his living through the harvesting of pearls, nor did he own pearl fleets as the American Wilburn Dowell Cobb would later claim.

In an earlier interview conducted by the Local Government of Brooke’s Point, the following account was given of the early history of the pearl⁴⁴

One day Panglima Pesi saw a certain Mr. Banggona coming in from the beach with slabs of taklobo (clam) meat. He asked where they had gotten it and he was told that they have hauled in a big taklobo which they deposited on the shore. The Panlima, interested in a clam that could possibly be used as a watering trough for animals, went to the shore and saw that indeed, there was a huge clam and people were dividing the meat among themselves. While there, he saw a circular white object that he removed using a hammer. Once he realized that it was a pearl, and a big one at that, he tried to sell it in nearby Kudat (Borneo). However, the Chinese traders would have nothing to do with such a huge thing, preferring the iridescent smaller pearls that they used as jewelry. Having nothing better to do with it, the pearl stayed in his house as a plaything for his children and grand children.

Later, an American named Wilburn Cobb came. Cobb asked if he could bring the pearl and try to sell it. The Panglima gave him the pearl with the agreement between the parties that Cobb would sell it and return with the Panglima’s share of the proceeds. Should Cobb fail during the Panglima’s lifetime, the proceeds would go to his son, Usop. Cobb left with the pearl and Pesi never saw Cobb again in his lifetime.

 

George Pesi, last surviving grandson of the famed Panlima Pesi, holding his granddaughters

Today, at the age of 67, George’s face lights up with delight as he recounts his elder brothers’ stories of having the pearl as a “bowling ball” in their grandfather’s house by the sea.⁴⁶ With an air of resignation, he frequently gestures to a copy of Cobb’s accounts of the Pearl of Allah, pushing forward the envelope containing the documents in answer to questions. 

George believes his family holds a claim over the sale of the pearl, as it was entrusted to Cobb to be sold however way he saw fit. He still awaits the fulfillment of this promise made to a grandfather he never met, some 78 years ago.

Surrounded by lands once belonging to his grandfather, George Pesi, stands where Panglima Pesi’s house once stood. 

Local lore tells of his grandfather, how he owned vast lands and the mysterious wealth he brought with him from his native Sulu.

In the distance, the old school house still stands, a silent testament to the life and passing of Panglima Pesi.