Nicasio "Asiong" Rodriguez Salonga (October 11, 1924 – October 7, 1951), nicknamed the "Hari ng Tondo" or Kingpin of Tondo, was an infamous Filipino gangster whose notorious life had been portrayed in several movie versions in 1961 (by

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

), 1977 (by Rudy Fernandez), 1990 and 2011 (both played by George Estregan, Jr.).

History

Asiong was considered one of the Philippines' public enemies where he reigned and dominated

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

's then-known mob district, Tondo, for several years. Asiong as a gang leader had 12 loyal members in his group, Angustia Gang, with 4 hideouts in Manila (Tondo,

Binondo Binondo (; ) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Manila, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Manila, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas, Manila, San Nicolas and Tondo, Manila, Tondo. ...

Quiapo Quiapo may refer to: * Quiapo, Chile, a location in Arauco Province *Quiapo, Manila, a district in the Philippines ** Quiapo Church The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (), commonly known as Quiapo Church and canonically ...

& Pier). Salonga's name had been linked to illegal possession and sale of firearms, homicide, collection of sum of money from businessmen, and other unknown nefarious cases from which somehow he always managed to squirm out of arrest. Despite this reputation, Salonga was still considered a hero by many local residents, thus earning him the nickname "

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

of Tondo". Asiong was recognized by many in Metro Manila due to the frequent appearances of his name in newspaper headlines. The only record of Salonga in the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

was dated March 28, 1946, in relation to his arrest without warrant on January 10 of the same year. He later reportedly went out of jail, stayed out for a while at the time of that year's presidential elections and played a role in the victory of

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the ...

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

with his group protecting the voters from any interference by the

Huks The Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (), better known by the acronym Hukbalahap, was a Filipino communist guerrilla movement formed by the farmers of Central Luzon. They were originally formed to fight the Japanese, but extended their fight into a ...

. He surrendered thereafter. In 1951, he was among those arrested in connection with the killing of a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

shipping executive. Asiong Salonga tomb CNE 02

Later that year, he was shot dead by one of his companions, allegedly in a drinking spree, Ernesto Reyes along with Joe David, which had been speculated as a double cross for fellow gang leader, and also Salonga’s rival, Carlos Capistrano (aka Totoy Golem) whom Reyes worked for. Some sources also pointed politics as another angle behind the killing. Salonga's death occurred prior to his 27th birthday.

Media portrayal

* First portrayed by

in the film ''Asiong Salonga'', premiered March 1, 1961 * Portrayed by Rudy Fernandez in a 1978 film, ''Salonga'' * Portrayed twice by E.R. Ejercito; in a 1990 film, ''Asiong Salonga: Hari ng Tondo 1950''; and in a

2011 Metro Manila Film Festival The 37th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the annual film festival in Manila, Philippines that is held from December 25, 2011 until the first week of January 2012. During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters in order ...

entry, '' Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story''

Popular culture

* His life was featured in an episode of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

program ''Pipol'', aired February 8, 2000 *

Pugad Baboy ''Pugad Baboy'' (literally, "swine's nest" in Tagalog language, Tagalog) is a comic strip created by Filipino people, Filipino cartoonist Pol Medina, Jr., Apolonio "Pol" Medina, Jr. The strip is about a Manila community of mostly obese people ...

dog character Polgas plays as "Asong Salonga," a parody version of Asiong Salonga seen on the 26th volume of the comic book.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salonga, Asiong 1924 births 1951 deaths Deaths by firearm in the Philippines Filipino gangsters People of American colonial Philippines People from Tondo, Manila Tagalog people

History

Media portrayal

Popular culture

See also

References