 Film production in the Philippines was halted after the Japanese invasion in 1941, and Salcedo returned to bodabil.He would perform at the Avenue Theater for the duration of the war.Salcedo also engaged in guerilla activities, for which he was incarcerated and released only upon the intercession of Benigno Aquino Sr.

After the war ended in 1945, Salcedo starred in such dramas as "Capas" (1946) and "Siete Dolores" (1948).