 The Kingdom of Tondo flourished during the latter half of the Ming Dynasty as a result of direct trade relations with China . Tondo district was maintained as the traditional capital of the empire , with its rulers as sovereign kings and not mere chieftains , and were addressed variously as <unk> ln <unk> or <unk> in Tagalog ( " lords " ) ; <unk> <unk> ( " son of heaven " ) ; or <unk> ( " lord of the palace " ) , the Emperor of China considered the <unk> ( rulers of ancient Manila ) " 王 " ( Kings ) . 
