Photo from Harold Banario’s Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — Team Lakay continues to prove that it’s not just a stable of fighters but also of martial artists who can excel in other fields.
Former ONE world lightweight champion Eduard Folayang was once a teacher and still holds a license after passing the teacher boards exam in 2008 while BRAVE CF contender Harold Banario has fine skills with a paintbrush.
Banario, who designs houses as a side job, was chosen as the one to paint on the canvas when Baguio City decided to honor Team Lakay with a mural at the city’s Baguio Athletic Bowl.
“Actually, I’ve been doing art since I was a child. You can call it inborn talent since four of my siblings are also good at it,” said Banario, a bantamweight contender in BRAVE CF. “I think it was way back when I was in elementary, particularly in my first grade, where I drew random things and submitted it to my teacher. I was awarded for it.”
The city asked Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao on who should paint the stable’s figure in the local landmark and he knew there was no better one than Banario.
“I can say it’s an obvious choice since they’re my teammates and coaches, but perhaps they trust me and believe in my talent. I’m very delighted since this is my first time doing a mural this big. It’s an amazing feeling being chosen to do this monumental painting.”
Team Lakay’s art piece measures nine feet tall and 24 feet wide and features Sangiao at the top with his champion students also in the mural brandishing their title belts from different promotions.
Banario (5-2) is not as busy as his stablemates with just seven fights since starting his professional career in 2012 and he deepened his love for painting in June 2015 after losing to Mark Abelardo using the craft as a coping mechanism.
He even went viral in 2017 when he painted “Beauty and the Igorot Artist” as an ode to Emma Watson’s Beauty and the Beast film with the piece even cataloged at FineArtAmerica.com.
“All of my paintings are allegorical paintings or symbolism, and it’s more on human figures and drama,” said Banario.
Though the painting is as detailed as it is, Banario said it has yet to be finished since his progress has been derailed due to the strict lockdown protocols imposed on the city to curb the effects of COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Banario understands the situation and wants to finish it before the holidays, a month after it was supposed to be unveiled during the Ibagiw 2020 Creative City Festival in November.
“I’ve been delayed countless times. I completely understand the situation. Our authorities know better. I just wish I can finish it before Christmas or New Year,” said Banario.