'I found my roots through the Filipino pearl divers': The enduring connection between Filipino migrants and First Nations Peoples

After arriving in Australia on a scholarship in 2010, Dr Gil Tabucanon became curious about how Filipinos first came to the country. This personal search led him to uncover the stories and contributions of Australia’s earliest Filipino migrants. Image: Edinel Magtibay/SBS Filipino

What began as a deeply personal search for belonging grew into years of research uncovering the lives, contributions and enduring legacy of Australia’s earliest Filipino migrants. Filipino academic and lawyer Dr Gil Marvel Tabucanon of Macquarie University spoke with SBS Filipino about the Manilamen, early Filipino seafarers and pearl divers whose stories form an important but little-known chapter of Australia’s history and Philippine Revolution.

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Key Points

• Dr. Gil Tabucanon believes understanding the stories of early Filipino migrants helps Filipino Australians appreciate their heritage and recognise their community's long-standing contribution to Australia.
• Dr. Tabucanon said the arrival of many Filipinos in Australia can be traced to the end of the Manila–Acapulco Galleon Trade in 1815, when unemployed Filipino seafarers were recruited into Australia's pearl diving industry.
• According to Dr. Tabucanon, Australia's Filipino pearl divers also played a role in the Philippine independence movement. Some, including Candido Iban and Francisco del Castillo, returned to the Philippines to join the Katipunan, while funds earned in Australia helped finance revolutionary activities.
• He explained that many early Filipino migrants developed close relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, establishing families and communities that have become part of Australia's shared history.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this story may contain images, voices or names of people who have died. It also contains references to historical deaths that some readers and listeners may find distressing.

The first gatherers of pearls were Aboriginal people. When the shallow waters became depleted, divers had to go deeper. With the law prohibiting Aboriginal women from diving in deep waters, Filipinos came in. After the Galleon trade ended in 1815, many trained Filipino seafarers were looking for work. They were recruited in Singapore, which became the hub of shipping, and travelled to Australia through Thursday Island

Dr Gil Marvel Tabucanon

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