Zarcal: First Filipino-Australian

While Filipino historian Reynaldo C. Ileto is best known for his landmark book “Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines” (1979), I prefer his essays, which bring obscure events, places, and people out of the proverbial dustbin of history. From a focus on Southern Luzon or cholera during the Philippine-American War to figures like Miguel Malvar in Batangas, Datu Utto of Buayan in Maguindanao, and Heriberto Zarcal in Australia, Ileto builds histories from what earlier historians left in footnotes.

I brushed up on the life of Zarcal during a recent lecture tour in Australia and went beyond Ileto to later research by Jose Victor Torres and the late Renato Perdon. Zarcal was born in Manila in 1864. He left the Philippines and settled in Australia in 1892, made a fortune and died of a stomach ulcer in Paris in 1917. Zarcal was not the first Pinoy in Australia, but he was one of the first, and the most prominent to be naturalized. Other Filipinos on Thursday Island in Queensland predated Zarcal as pearl industry workers: divers, cleaners, and sorters of raw pearls. Zarcal began as a pearl cleaner and later became a sorter. Then, using his expertise as a jeweler, he learned to appraise and buy and sell rare pearl types. By 1900, he had established a two-story shop building with signage that went beyond billing his name, “H. ZARCAL.” It also advertised “NOLI ME TANGERE,” the title of Rizal’s famous first novel. He is listed in the 1899 “Pugh’s Almanac” as follows:

“H. Zarcal, jeweler and pearl merchant, wholesale and retail … Thursday Island, Torres Straits, Queensland.

“Licensed dealer and provision merchant. Highest price given for: pearls, mother of pearl shell, tortoise shell, and beche-de-mer. Lapidary and optician, goldsmith, watchmaker, and pearl cleaner. Every description of diamonds, pearls, opals, and other gems set to any design and with the most artistic workmanship. The stock of pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones is the largest in Australia.”

Zarcal could be described, in contemporary Filipino, as “all-around.” He could also be seen as the embodiment of Simoun, the mysterious jeweler in Rizal’s second novel, “El Filibusterismo” (1891). After all, Zarcal sympathized, if not supported, the Philippine Revolution. Aside from the Noli sign on his shop, he named three of his boats in honor of revolutionary leaders: (Emilio) Aguinaldo, (Mariano) Llanera, and (Mamerto) Natividad. It was reported that Spanish Governor General Fernando Primo de Rivera suggested that the names of the boats be changed to Magallanes, Legazpi, and Salcedo, better remembered today not for their role in Philippine history but as names of posh Makati villages. Zarcal’s fleet was not just used for pearl fishing; there were other products harvested from the sea, like sea cucumber, black shells (concha negra), and tortoise shell. These boats were also used for personal transport and delivery of goods. Zarcal’s other boats bore Philippine rather than English, Australian, or aboriginal names. With the sole exception of Esther, the name of his wife, the rest were relevant to the Philippines and Filipinos: Kavite (one of the eight provinces, symbolized by the rays of the sun in the Philippine flag, placed under martial law at the outbreak of the 1896 revolution); Santa Cruz (arrabal or suburb of Manila where Zarcal was born); Magdalo (one of the revolutionary leaderships or factions in Cavite); and Sikatuna and Lacandola, who were datus during the early Spanish conquest of the Philippines. Other boats were named after virtues: Kalayaan (Liberty), Kapayapaan (Peace), Justicia (Justice), and Esperanza (Hope). The boat named Filipino is self-explanatory.

It is unclear if Zarcal provided financial support for the revolution or the Philippine-American War. Filipino pearl divers in Australia, Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban, contributed P1,000 from their lottery winnings, which was used to acquire the Katipunan printing press. Torres found in the “Philippine Insurgent Records” a solicitation letter from Aguinaldo to Pedro Roxas in Paris and Zarcal in Australia, dated July 9, 1898, requesting cannons, rifles, and ammunition in a “quantity as your resources can allow.” These arms were not donations but considered a loan paid from the income from the friar lands confiscated by the revolutionary government. Roxas and Zarcal did not reply, prompting Aguinaldo to write Felipe Agoncillo on Aug. 7, 1898, to follow up on the request, adding that if cannons and rifles were too expensive, the revolutionary government could also use Remington and Mauser ammunition.”

Zarcal’s name appears in the list of diplomatic agents of the revolutionary government appointed by Aguinaldo. He was in good company: Juan Luna (Paris), Sixto Lopez (London), Felipe Agoncillo (United States), Mariano Ponce (Japan), and Zarcal (Australia). We have an outline of Zarcal’s life and good fortune in Australia, but many gaps are waiting to be filled by further research. Zarcal’s story is a reminder that there is so much in Philippine history hiding in plain sight.

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Comments are welcome at ambeth.ocampo@inquirer.net