KALIBO, Aklan – A businessman has displayed a giant pearl weighing about 13.75 kilos to the public in a bid to boost the tourism industry of this capital town.
Jiji Flores said a tribe member from Palawan gave him the treasure in 2011.
“I first thought it was an ordinary stone. In 2016, I began to suspect it was a pearl because of what I am seeing in the news. I decided to have it checked with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. I have decided to display it to the public to help Kalibo in their tourism industry. I am willing to turn over the pearl to the local government if they could guarantee its security,” Flores added.
Flores claimed the pearl is the second heaviest in the country as the Pearl of Allah in Palawan was registered at 34 kilos.
He named the gem Pearl of Berachah a biblical word for blessing.
“I was able to help a member of the tribe that’s why it was given to me. He told me in 2011 that the gem will bring me fortune someday,” he said.
At present, the pearl is displayed in a room inside a restaurant owned by Flores./PN
