Nicasio "Asiong" Rodriguez Salonga (October 11, 1924 – October 7, 1951), nicknamed the "

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

" or "Hito" of Tondo, was an infamous

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

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. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...

), 1977 (by Rudy Fernandez), 1990 and 2011 (both played by

George Estregan Jr. Emilio Ramon Pelayo Ejercito III (; born October 5, 1963), commonly known as E. R. Ejercito, is a Filipino actor and former governor of Laguna from 2010 until his removal in 2014. Prior to his election as governor, he served as mayor of Pagsanj ...

History

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

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

's then-known mob district, Tondo, for several years. Asiong as a gang leader had 12 loyal members in his group, 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, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the ...

, Quiapo & 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 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 A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. 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 was shot dead in 1951 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.Biography for Asiong Salonga
Retrieved 22 August 2015.

Media portrayal

* First portrayed by

in the 1961 film, ''Asiong Salonga'' * Portrayed by Rudy Fernandez in the 1978 film, ''Salonga'' * Portrayed by

E.R. Ejercito Emilio Ramon Pelayo Ejercito III (; born October 5, 1963), commonly known as E. R. Ejercito, is a Filipino actor and former governor of Laguna from 2010 until his removal in 2014. Prior to his election as governor, he served as mayor of Pagsanj ...

in the 2011 film, '' Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story''

Popular culture

*Pugad Baboy dog character Polgas plays as "Asong Salonga" a parody version of Asiong Salonga was seen on Pugad Baboy Vol. 26 Comic Book.

References

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

History

Media portrayal

Popular culture

See also

References