[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-605416-105":3,"doc-detail-605416-en":80,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":97},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","american-veteran-in-exile-manong-faustino-peping-baclig","American Veteran in Exile - Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig","","American Veteran in Exile: Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig recounts how a Filipino WWII veteran fought alongside American soldiers and endured the Bataan Death March, then spent decades seeking rightful benefits for Filipino American veterans. The account traces historical context under U.S. rule, the formation of the Commonwealth Army, and the challenges faced during the Pacific War. It also highlights leadership, advocacy, and recognition of Filipino contributions to freedom.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/","Literature",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/american-veteran-in-exile-manong-faustino-peping-baclig/605416/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/american-veteran-in-exile-manong-faustino-peping-baclig/605416.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Jacob","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20","2026-10-16",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"Who was Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig and what did he do in World War II?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"He was a Filipino WWII soldier who fought alongside American soldiers and survived the Bataan Death March. He later became a passionate advocate for Filipino veterans’ rights and remembrance.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What historical conditions in the Philippines led to the formation of a Filipino army during World War II?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The Philippines were under U.S. control, became a U.S. territory in 1898, and were set for independence after the Tydings-McDuffie Act. During the transitional Commonwealth period, a Filipino army was organized with U.S. funding.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"Why did Filipino veterans face a long struggle for benefits?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"A 1942 Veterans Administration legal opinion recognized eligibility, but later decisions led to denial, including a 1946 Congress determination that those soldiers would not be deemed to have been in the military. The document describes how this triggered decades of advocacy for equitable recognition.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},605416,1792485721,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",{"doc_id":78,"user_id":83,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":84,"doc_module":4,"category_id":26,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":85,"file_id":86,"file_url":87,"file_type":88,"file_size":89,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":90,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":95,"read_time":96},962084931830,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","American Veteran in Exile: Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig  \nAmerican Veteran in Exile: Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig  \nCasimiro Urbano Tolentino  \n“I urge all Americans to recall the courage, sacrifices and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World War II and honor them for their contribution to our freedom.”  \n–President William J. Clinton on a Proclamation declaring October 20, 1996 as a day honoring Filipino veterans of WWII.  \nHow I Know Manong “Peping” Baclig  \nFor many of my generation growing up in the 1960s  \nand 1970s, we did not have Filipino heroes to model  \nour actions. Philip Vera Cruz, a labor union leader, was one of these heroes, whom I met and taught about when I was studying at UCLA. Faustino “Peping” Baclig has been added to that short list of heroes. Throughout this chapter I will refer to “Peping” with the Filipino term of Manong, a sign of respect, meaning “older brother” not necessarily a relative.  \nManong Faustino “Peping” Baclig, as a Filipino soldier, fought alongside American soldiers during World War II and survived the infamous Bataan Death March.  \n [asianamericanedu.org](asianamericanedu.org) [2](2 aasc.ucla.edu)[ aasc.ucla.edu](2 aasc.ucla.edu)  \nDuring the past 60 years, he has led the struggle to claim benefits for Filipino American veterans. In doing so, he has brought honor and dignity not only to his fellow veterans but to both the Filipino and Filipino American communities.  \nIfirst met Manong Peping at a conference at the  \nUniversity of Southern California (USC) con  \nvened by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in the late 1980s to educate and rally the Los Angeles County Filipino American community about veterans’ issues. At that time, I had been researching the issue of the lack of veterans benefits for certain Filipino veterans. My father, Lucio Tolentino, also a Bataan Death March veteran, was one of the lucky ones who was able to transition from the Philippine Scouts to the U.S. Army with its attendant benefits. My godfather (Ninong), Franco Arcebal, who served with my father, was not so lucky and was in attendance at the conference. Ninong Franco introduced me to Manong Peping as his comrade and spokesperson for the equity issue.  \nHistorical Background  \nAt the beginning of WWII, the Philippines were under United States control. The Philippines became a U.S. territory in 1898. In 1934, Congress passed the Tydings-McDuffie Act or the Philippine Independence Act. It provided that after a transitional period of 10 years, the Philippines would become independent.  \nOn Nov. 15, 1935, the U.S. organized the Commonwealth of the Philippines, a transitional government that was to endon July 4, 1946. During this period, the Commonwealth government organized a Filipino army that was funded by the U.S. government.  \nManong Peping, dressed and standing ramrod straight in Army khaki, spoke about the issue in passionate terms and the need to remember the personal sacrifices of Filipinos for freedom in the Pacific. A few years later, Manong Peping would chain himself to General MacArthur’s statue at Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park—in the same uniform.  \nA recent report in the Los Angeles Times explained the basis for the decades long struggle of the Filipino veterans:  \n“A 1942 legal opinion by the Veterans Administration determined that the soldiers were eligible for benefits on the same basis as U. S. veterans. But many saw that decision as disproportionately benefiting Filipinos because of the lower cost of living in the Philippines. In 1946, Congress decided those soldiers would ‘not be deemed to be or to have been’ in the military.”  \nFighting for the U.S. in World War II  \nManong “Peping,” a World War II veteran,  \nis a passionate voice for the Filipino sol  \ndiers who fought under the American flag alongside American soldiers. He speaks as a veteran who experienced some of the most horrific aspects of the Pacific war.  \nIn 1939-40, Japanese and U.S. relations worsened. In July 1941, Pres","cbCail7LfB9Yik2K","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCail7LfB9Yik2K","pdf",2337443,8,"English","# How I Know Manong “Peping” Baclig\n# Historical Background\n# Fighting for the U.S. in World War II\n# Bataan Death March","[{\"question\":\"Who was Manong Faustino “Peping” Baclig and what did he do in World War II?\",\"answer\":\"He was a Filipino WWII soldier who fought alongside American soldiers and survived the Bataan Death March. He later became a passionate advocate for Filipino veterans’ rights and remembrance.\"},{\"question\":\"What historical conditions in the Philippines led to the formation of a Filipino army during World War II?\",\"answer\":\"The Philippines were under U.S. control, became a U.S. territory in 1898, and were set for independence after the Tydings-McDuffie Act. During the transitional Commonwealth period, a Filipino army was organized with U.S. funding.\"},{\"question\":\"Why did Filipino veterans face a long struggle for benefits?\",\"answer\":\"A 1942 Veterans Administration legal opinion recognized eligibility, but later decisions led to denial, including a 1946 Congress determination that those soldiers would not be deemed to have been in the military. 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