Ancient Teleporter or Errant Soldier? The Curious Case of Gil Perez

Perhaps one of the earliest historical cases of teleportation
is recorded in the Philippines, then a Spanish colony
Photo courtesy of YouTube

It was a gloomy night of October 24, 1593. News circulate of the death of the Spanish Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmariñas in the hands of Chinese mutineers, but none was confirmed just yet. The 74-year old governor-general, the 7th to serve in the Philippines, was then at sea in an expedition to the Moluccas (Maluku). The confusion was such in its gravity that the succeeding governor-general had only assumed office in December, more than a month after the mutiny. However, it did not seem to affect an ordinary veteran soldier serving as guard in Intramuros, the Walled City of Manila. He was physically drained enough to fall asleep while on duty. Would he care less about mundane affairs? The next thing he knew as he woke up on October 25, he was at Plaza Mayor. In Mexico City. To better appreciate this quantum leap, Manila and Mexico City are more than 14,000 kilometers apart, separated by a great body of water that is the Pacific Ocean. This led the unknown palace guard to come down in history as the mysterious "transported soldier." So much so that he was even accorded a proper name later on, Gil Perez. What happened? A real case of teleportation or an embellished narration?

The Dasmariñas paradox

Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmariñas
Photo courtesy of Alchetron

Whether or not the name of the transported soldier is real, Perez is presented as one of the well-documented cases of a living teleporter. Of course, being in a different uniform compared to the Mexico-based soldiers, he was suspected highly, and was said to have been thrown to prison as a lunatic. However, when the passengers of the next galleon from the Philippines arrived months later, Perez's story was corroborated. He was set free, sent back to his duty in Manila, and was likely thankful that he has ears for news. It appears there was no repeating experience. And to be clear, Perez is no guardia civil (Civil Guard), as one article suggests, because the Philippine guardia civil would not be organized until the 19th century.

What is perhaps being overlooked is that the key to the whole story is the governor-general himself. First, there are at least three dates being considered for his death: October 19, 23, and 25. Provided he died on the 25th, which seems to be the most accepted date, Perez would have not known of the governor-general's death. Had he knew, he would not only be a teleporter, but also someone who can see the future, elevating the case to a whole new level. A time traveler and a teleporter? Otherwise, there are other factors to be considered.

Provided Dasmariñas died on either the 19th or the 23rd, the corroboration by the galleon passengers might be thrown into doubt. The galleons usually take off from Manila at least once a year, and this is usually done in June, just before the typhoon season begins. Since it takes five to six months to travel, Perez must have languished in his cell during Christmas before anyone else saved him from his misfortune. However, the passengers must have not known about the governor-general's death either if they left the Philippines following the usual schedule. Dasmariñas died in October. Subsequently, if Perez had to wait for the next galleon, since someone who left in June 1593 must have not seen Perez serving his post in October of the same year, he would have been in prison for well over a year. Fortunate he was to be recognized by a comrade still after all those time? Then again, news do not always come along with the galleon, as far as Mexico is concerned. After all, under the Spanish colonial setting, the Philippines was then under the Viceroy of Mexico. Thus, the suggestion of Antonio de Morga in 1609 that Mexico might have known of the news of the death within the day. As the saying goes, good news travel slowly, bad news has wings.

Speaking of galleons, would have it been possible that Perez was pranked? Carried during his sleep to a departing ship which dared to venture the Pacific during typhoon season in a most extraordinary manner? What a cruel joke, if this would have been the solution to this teleportation case. While it does not solve the time difference of just one sleeping cycle, what if the overnight story is just an addition as well? At any rate, there appears to be more into Perez's story than meets the eye. After all, even Perez's name was a later addition to the story. We cannot discount the possibility of embellishment.

Science of Teleportation

Cartoon depicting quantum teleportation
Photo courtesy of Laughing Squid

In the scientific sense, one possible explanation can be seen in the field of quantum physics. In particular, quantum teleportation suggests that any information can be transmitted in the same state but in a different location. This does not imply that Perez, or anyone else for that matter, can be transported faster than the speed of light because it relies on the principles of classical/physical communication means and quantum entanglement. The latter occurs when there is interaction between information entities that causes them to enter a quantum state of inseparability. Thus, there is the chance of two connected information entities to interact once more even over such considerable distance.

How does this apply in the transported soldier's case? Usually, Spanish soldiers sent to the Philippines prior to the independence of Mexico had to pass by Mexico before proceeding to the Philippines. In the slight possibility that Perez made a connection specifically in Mexico City via quantum entanglement, and then unknowingly activated actual teleportation when he served in Manila, it would have explained, at least in theory, how Perez must have achieved it. Then again, since Perez does not seem to have done it again, it would be difficult to confirm its reliability. After all, even experiments being conducted to this day cannot recreate Perez's surprising feat.

Another issue would have been the possibility of Perez surviving the teleportation process. For instance, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle would tell us that it is not much about the observation of the phenomenon than the fundamental property of quantum system governing the process. While it seems Perez did not lose his memory, was there anything else lost in him due to his teleportation?

Significance of the transported soldier

Arch of the Centuries, a National Cultural Treasure
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

For the Philippines to be a site of a supposedly early case of teleportation, a theme which one would usually see only in films and television shows, it might even cause an event such as the "raiding" of Area 51. People would flock to the Walled City in hopes of finding Perez's miraculous teleportation spot. In the face of worsening traffic congestion and overloaded transits, why would they not? Of course, there are other attractions of interest for those who seek reality in science fantasy, such as the Arch of the Centuries, built in the University of Santo Tomas in 1680. The arch was said to be able to transport someone into another time frame simply by crossing into it. Then again, as thousands of graduates have crossed the arch for years, perhaps the story is more symbolic than actual. Still, stories similar to this have continually captured the imagination and persisted in our recorded history, even when the myths are busted.

Fiction or not, is there any lesson to take away from the curious case of the transported soldier? There may be one we can apply to this day: Whatever happens, do not sleep on the job. God knows where you will end up next time.