By IBIZUGBE OSAHON

A poor fisherman on the coast of Palawan Island, in the Philippines has discovered that he had been literally sitting on a treasure worth around $100million for ten years without even knowing it.

According to reports in The Sun UK and Time magazine, around a decade ago, the anonymous fisherman found a pearl which is five times bigger than the rock which holds the current world record, and hid it in his wooden shack as a ‘good luck charm’ having no idea of its worth.

The Sun UK reports that he only thought to hand the gem into his local tourist office, in remote Puerto Princesca, after a fire forced him to have a clear out and move house. While the average pearl is around seven millimetres in diameter, the giant rock measures 1ft wide and 2.2ft long – dwarfing the world’s current biggest, the Pearl of Allah, which weighs 6.4kg and is worth £26.6m.

Tourism officer, Aileen Cynthia Amurao said, “The fisherman threw the anchor down and it got stuck on a rock during a storm. He noticed that it was lodged on a shell and swam down to pull up the anchor, and also brought the shell with him. “This was a decade ago and he kept it at home. “He didn’t know how much it was worth and kept it tucked away at home as a simple good luck charm. “We were amazed when he brought it to us. “We now need help from gemologists to fully certify it. “We’re waiting for authentication from the Gemologist Institute and other international authorities.

“But we believe Puerto Princesca is likely to earn another prestigious title and a record breaker for having the world’s biggest natural giant pearl from a giant clam. “We will keep this here in the Philippines and I hope it will bring more tourists to the city.” The gem was unveiled to the public for the first time on Tuesday, August 23.

Photo credits: www.sun.co.uk

Image by  Michele Falzone