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It was said that during the height of Japanese invasion, the
Japanese when they came upon Agusan tried to impose economic
blockade by putting garrisons in strategic places where there
are vast ricelands. Anybody they see within sight of the
ricelands were shot at randomly to discourage harvesting
of rice. They thought that by this method, the civilians who
evacuated into the deep, swampy and murky regions
will not stay long due to hunger and would finally come out
and live in their residences. They were entirely wrong. For in the vast jungle where sago palms thrived abundantly like ordinary nipa palms, the people made use of these plants by extracting sago and make bread to supplant the food shortage.The wild game and fresh-water fishes and sago bread become the sources of food for the evacuees. Sago-making, a thriving business during the World War II The historical life-saving role of sago was deeply felt during the World War II. .... The guerilla military logisticians found this item of vital importance to feed guerilleros in the battlefields in the last World War II because a well-prepared sago bread given to the fighting soldiers would suffice to make him survive for a week in a jungle without rice to cook, as it could be taken in when one feels hungry. A soldier given a ganta of sago bread (Kinabal in the Butuanon dialect) would be able to feed himself for a week's time or more depending on the quantity he takes every meal. The general order for making of this staple food during guerilla days in Butuan was initiated by the 13th Infantry Regiment headed by Maj. Khalil Khodr, a mine prospector in Butuan, who formally organized the resistance movement during the dark days of WWII....and to encourage the production, the procurement officers put up a luscious price tag for every bacoco (equivalent to a sack) whereby it was pegged at PhP3.50 a ganta of a prepared sago bread. Now, there's a small but interesting side-tale to this story: The natives, in preparing the sago flour for sago bread making, usually wait for the full moon. Why? Because this is not only to time it with the rising tide but also because of the belief that the sago flour when done during full moon will be more tasty and productive. The whys and hows of it is another story to tell.... Reference: Whole story taken from "1521: Limasawa?" by Mr. Adolfo Sanchez
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