His father was a wealthy merchant and Portusach spent his childhood on Spanish merchant ships in the Philippines and other Spanish territories.
hɪz fˈɑːðɚ wʌzɐ wˈɛlθi mˈɜːtʃənt ænd pˈoːɹɾuːsˌætʃ spˈɛnt hɪz tʃˈaɪldhʊd ˌɔn spˈænɪʃ mˈɜːtʃənt ʃˈɪps ɪnðə fˈɪlᵻpˌiːnz ænd ˈʌðɚ spˈænɪʃ tˈɛɹɪtˌoːɹiz.