The Bahala Na Gang (BNG) is a street gang founded in the Philippines which subsequently spread to the United States.
Early history
The Bahala Na Gang was established in the early 1940s in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines, by Divino Talastas, a native of Bulacan who was born in early 1920s and who later moved with his siblings to Sampaloc. Before the forming of the Bahala Na Gang, Divino had a brother known as "Emong" who at an early age of 13–14 was most feared in the area, known for his fighting skill, and was notorious for targeting and killing police officers. This was rooted from his early trouble with the police, when he was arrested and tortured (including the use of electricity on his genitals), allegedly in order to secure his conviction. When Emong was released, he became the top enemy for the police and soon, numerous murdered policemen followed and terror ensued. However, the authorities eventually found his whereabouts and shot him dead at the age of 15. A 5-year-old half brother witnessed how his brother's dead body moved while gunshots continued to hit the dead body. The event would have an impact to Emong's siblings, including Divino (Diving as what he was known in the area).
After Emong's death, there was a struggle for territorial power as to who would lead. Another gang tried to take control: the Sige-Sige Gang. This was the Golden Period of Philippine Street Gangs. To match with the existing Sige-Sige Gang, Divino formed the Bahala Na Gang, whose name he took from the existing night bar in Sampaloc, the "Bahala Na Bar." A place known as a meeting place for tough guys around the area. This was where Divino gained a reputation for his fighting skill. Divino was only 5'6, quiet, had a soft pleasant face, but known for his skills fighting even with numerous men. He earned the respect within the criminal group. The earliest members were hardcore street fighters who were loyal to Emong; their main goal was merely to protect them from terror from other gangs. The gang spread and eventually many members of the gang were doing all kinds of criminal activities. Divino himself was a regular to Iwahig Prison, and whenever he would reside there, he held a top position among inmates, as their "mayor". Before he died, Divino himself told his story to few people he knew as he reached his old age. He died in the early 1980s, after being abducted, and his body was later found inside a sack floating in a river. There was evidence of torture and most likely suffered a painful slow death, believed to be in connection with some kind of 'unfinished job' he made for one influential person of power.
The 1960s
The gang continued to gain notoriety decades after the deaths of the original founders. In the 1960s, the gang eventually made their homes and territories in prisons throughout the Philippines, including New Bilibid Prison and the Bureau of Corrections. July 10, 1961, saw the highly-documented murder of Bahala Na Gang member, Roberto Monreal, who was forced to fight to a last stand after being cornered in the Manila City Jail by criminals Ramon Narciso y Contreras, Elias Gloria y Bernardino, Francisco Celso y Garcia and Rufino Peña y Guevarra.
It was in this decade where notorious BNG member, Arturo Forcuna (aka Boy Golden), gained infamy. Forcuna was only forced to be inducted into the gang in desperation to survive the violence inside the Manila City Jail. In the 1960s, he became infamous for his numerous altercation with rival gangs such as the Sige-Sige Gang, at one point even surviving a beating with makeshift weapons from numerous members of the latter. At this time, the Bahala Na Gang's culture of violence became more widely recorded by law enforcement and journalists. Franklin G. Ashburn in his research book entitled Some Recent Inquiries into the Structure-Function of Conflict Gangs in Manila City Jail described the gang: