Faustino Isla Paz was born to Anatalia and Nicolas Paz on February 15, 1924 in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He was the fourth of seven children. Known to friends and family as Tino or Papang, he was a jovial man and was well-liked by everyone that he met. He was a well-read intellectual, a lifelong learner, and an avid armchair Jeopardy contestant. At a young age of 17, Tino was enlisted to join the Philippine guerilla forces that were part of a larger anti-Japanese movement during World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart—an honor given to those wounded in the war—while serving on the side of the U.S. Military. At the close of the war, he went on to pursue his undergraduate studies at the National University, Manila, where he also enrolled in the Air Force arm of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). To support himself financially, Tino worked at the Department of Justice during the day and attended classes in the evening. It was in this job where he met his other half, Esperanza. On June 14, 1951, Tino and Esperanza tied the knot and started their family in Tambunting, Manila. They were blessed with four children—Cesar, Dante, Eva, and Raoul. Tino went on to have a decorated 30-year career with the Philippine Air Force where he began as a second lieutenant in 1947, went up the ranks, and retired as a colonel in 1977. In 1963, he was one of the chosen officers of the “Limbas Squadron” who neutralized the rebel activity in Congo and eventually marked the end of the republic’s civil war. His participation in this United Nations Peacekeeping Operation earned him the distinguished UN Service Medal for putting his life in the line of service. Even after his retirement from the military, Tino continued his work in the public sector via the National Intelligence and Security Authority (NISA) and the Office of the Ombudsman (Tanodbayan) under the Marcos administration. When presented with the opportunity to provide a more prosperous life for his family, Tino packed his bags in pursuit of the “American Dream” and immigrated to the United States in 1986 as part of his privileges as a World War II veteran. Soon thereafter, his wife, children, and grandchildren followed in several waves. He planted roots in Los Angeles where his extended family have chosen to settle down years before he arrived. In true Tino fashion and without missing a beat, he resumed working at 62 years old at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center until he retired in 2013 at the age of 89. Tino was a loyal husband, loving father, and doting grandfather. He is survived by his children, Cesar and Fe, Dante and Sonia, and Eva and Edwin and his grandchildren, Chiara and Daniel, Cressa and Ronald, Paula and Michael, and Romina.
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