10 MOST NOTORIOUS CRIMINALS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1. ASIONG SALONGA

"Here’s another lawbreaker from Tondo, Manila. A notorious gang leader Asing Salonga struck fear in the very heart of Tondo, going against rival gangs operating in the area. A host of crimes including murder and homicide have been attributed to him but he always manages to come out clean.

On October 7, 1951 while out drinking after a baptism, he was gunned by a henchman of a rival group. He was only 27."

2. LEO ECHEGARAY

"As the first Filipino convict to be meted out death by lethal injection Leo Echegaray’s name solicits fear among many Filipinos. And rightfully so. Convicted of the crime of raping his own daughter several times, Echegaray was executed on the 5th day of February, 1999."

3. BINGBONG CRISOLOGO

"Born to a good family, Bingbong is the son of the Governor of Ilocos Sur but soon made headlines spreading terror all over the province in a spate of crimes. He was eventually imprisoned in Muntinlupa after sentenced to double life imprisonment for arson."

4. BABY AMA

"Baby Ama got his moniker because of his baby face good looks. Born poor in the streets of Tondo, Manila, he soon found his way to jail for thievery. His handsome face got the better of him though as he was repeatedly sodomized in prison. However, the final straw that broke the camel’s back was when his pregnant wife was allegedly raped by a prison guard, an event which pushed her to commit suicide. With all the hate inside of him, Baby Ama rose to become the leader of “Sige sige” gang, a group which under his leadership took part in the largest jail-riot againt a rival gang “Oxo oxo” in Muntinlupa which ended in 9 prisoners dead with 1 beheaded. Although pardoned and his sentence was commuted to life, Baby Ama was still electrocuted in 1961. He was 16 years old."

5. NARDONG PUTIK

"Another outlaw portrayed in film, but this time of a much older man. Nardong Putik’s name started hitting the headlines while still young as one of the alleged participant in the Maragondon massacre, a bloodbath where the mayor along the police chief and several policemen were murdered by hunting knives-wielding criminals. He was imprisoned by he eventually escaped, a pattern that will soon be his trademark.

Portrayed by the “anting-anting” master Sen. Ramon Revilla, Nardong Putik’s celebrated escapes made him notorious and was eventually sentenced to 182 years imprisonment. He escaped again in 1969 and rose to become Cavite’s Public Enemy No. 1 as the leader of a notorious gang operating drugs, smuggling, carnapping ring. After a massive manhunt, the long arm finally caught up with the “Robin Hood” of Cavite and was killed inside his red Impala car by a rain of bullets coming from 20 NBI agents led by agent Epimaco Velasco. He was 47. Masses liked him because he was generous to them."

6. BUTCH BELGICA 

"Butch was one of the youngest gang leaders in the underworld and was convicted in a sensational homicide case. He was a radical that was indoctrinated by the Communist. However, his story had a happy ending as he soon found his calling in serving God. He spent his prison days writing exposing the injustices of the system from within."

7. BEN TUMBLING

"Ben Tumbling is a former stuntman turned police hater turned multi-faceted criminal. His exploits have come to include robberies, drug trafficking and murder. To his account, 7 policemen have been shot dead. Hailing from Malabon, he soon gained notoriety as the feared policeman killer. His hatred for the police has similar roots to another A-lister here, Baby Ama, as allegedly his young wife was raped by police while he suffered from police brutality, his genitals electrocuted and his head hit hard by a chair.

As fate would have it, Ben’s acrobatic life ended on Friday the 13th of March 1981 in the hands of police who chased and shot him. It is said that people of Malabon wept openly because of the incident. He was 23 years old."

8. ALVIN FLORES

"Trained and recruited by the feared ABB, Alex Boncayao Brigade, Alvin soon found a way to utilize his newfound skills towards a more lucrative end. Putting up a gang, his name was soon linked to a series of daring robberies including the Greenbelt 5 heist in 2009. He soon ran out of luck even with his supposedly changed image (he had a plastic surgery) and was gunned down in Compostela, Cebu."

9. WAWAY

"This one is from Cebu and it seems he has a boundless appetite for raping women. Rumor has it that Waway has supernatural powers and is bent on raping and slaying 40 people a day. He has stricken fear so much in the ordinary Cebuanos that his posters bearing his photo are spread all over the island. For the record, a string of suits involving rape has been filed against him but most are settled out of court.

Waway was never put to jail and his name eventually became useful as a deterrent against minors in staying late."

10. ROMEO JALOSJOS

"Jalosjos is a political kingpin coming from a rich clan who it is said owns some shares in TV Network GMA and is also the owner/operator of posh beach resort Dakak. He found fame as the congressman representative of Zamboanga del Norte but fell out of grace when he was convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl in 1996.

His sentence has been commuted by President Arroyo and he walked out of prison in 2009. However, the Supreme Court has decided with finality in 2013 that he could no longer hold a public office."