Pillora named the trio 'Salt of the Earth', after the song recorded originally by The Rolling Stones, later by Joan Baez, written and composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Other than that song's title, Pillora also meant the name of the group to allude to the Biblical metaphor "salt of the earth", which represents the humble and sincere masses.
In 1978, the trio (who were all songwriters, composers and arrangers) signed their first recording contract and localized their name 'Salt of the Earth' into its Tagalog equivalent, 'Asin ng Lupa'.
In the same year, their eponymous debut LP Asin was released, giving birth to an alternative form of music that was different and distinct from what was mainstream.
In the summer of that year, AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales), an international students’ business organization the Philippine headquarters of which was based in Cebu, made a project to reunite the group.
From that time on, ASIN, with their manager Dindo, rolled into a series of performances in Mindanao, sporadic shows in the Visayan Region, and marathon concerts in Luzon.
[citation needed] In early 1984, the group released an experimental album titled Ang mga Awitin ng Bayan kong Pilipinas, an adaptation of traditional and contemporary songs from various regions of the Philippine archipelago.
This unfolded through the roll of events that happened in the beginning of the following year, among which was the EDSA Revolution that toppled the ruling Marcos regime.
[1] After a seven-year trial, lawyer Gualberto Cataluña Jr. and brothers Joelito and Joel Castracion were found guilty of the murder of Bañares and were sentenced to life imprisonment.
[3] Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nene, or Asin as she is known among her fans in Cagayan province in the Philippines' north, frequented her friend Willi Catral who arranged for some gigs.
Her frequent visits to Tuguegarao helped her establish contacts with environmental groups like the Sierra Madre Outdoor Club.
In 2000, Craig Burrows, MBE, originally from England but a long-term resident of the Philippines, came up with the idea to bring together the remaining members of the group and make an album.
Nonoy's concept was never realized, and in 2002, with the support of Burrows, Nene and Pendong made their own album titled Pag-ibig, Pagbabago, Pagpapatuloy.
On July 14, 2010, Nonoy and Nene reunited as ASIN to pay tribute to Saro Bañares Jr. in Koronadal, South Cotabato.
Their performance marked the opening of the 44th T’nalak Festival, a yearly celebration showcasing dances and crafts of the tribal communities as well as the produce of South Cotabato.
Although Asin admittedly did not set out to be a political band, their songs, most of which have themes of loneliness and longing, reflected the tumultuous undercurrent of the nineteen-seventies in the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos.
"The Apl Song", meanwhile, tells about the hardships of Allan Pineda, member of the Black Eyed Peas, which the artist experienced during his childhood in Angeles City.
In 2010, Yeng Constantino covered this song as the theme for the ABS-CBN TV series Dyosa, arranged by Paolo Zarate.