20 Centavos

One of dozens of guerrilla emergency currencies issued across the Philippine islands following the fall of Bataan in April 1942, this note was produced locally by the Headquarters Volunteer Service Corps under the United States Armed Forces in the Far East umbrella — a loose authorization that gave provincial commanders considerable latitude to print their own money. Pambujan Sur, a small municipality on the northern coast of Samar, was well outside Japanese-controlled population centers for much of the occupation, which made local scrip both necessary and viable.

The paper, ink, and printing quality on Samar guerrilla issues vary dramatically even within a single series. Pambujan Sur notes are among the less-documented provincial emissions, with surviving examples scarce enough that population data remains effectively unknown.