[2] The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in mainland China in 1937 following the Marco Polo Bridge incident which caused the worsening of anti-Japanese sentiment in the region including among the ethnic Chinese community in the Philippines.

The Wha-Chi movement began sometime around December 1941 when the United Workers Union in Manila decided to set up a resistance group to fight the Japanese.

[2] They set up base in a barrio at the foot of Mount Arayat and sent children, women, and the elderly to scout their enemy before sending their men to Manila to engage combat against the Japanese.

[3] The Wha-Chi which began with just seven rifles coordinated with Filipino guerrilla groups in the area and collected abandoned weapons to gather more arms.

[1] Collaborating with the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and the Hukbalahap, they liberated the towns of Cabiao, Jaen, Santa Maria, San Fernando, and Tarlac from Japanese control.

[1] After the end of Japanese occupation of the Philippines, many members planned to go to mainland China to join the resistance movement there but Japan surrendered before they could go.