BREAKING NEWS!

Another Heroes Wall of Fame athlete vandalized

VANDALIZED. The mural of two time Southeast Asian Games wushu sanda champion Mark Eddiva has been defaced by a vandal earlier this week. Eddiva is one of the 32 athletes and sportsmen featured in the Heroes Wall of Fame mural project under the eponymous Publications and Media Work and backed by the city government of Baguio, the Bureau of Copyright and Related Right and Boysen. It is scheduled to be launched on June 29. Photo by Ged Alangui

It is what most artists dread – their works vandalized.

It is now two of three for the artists that embarked last March to paint the murals of 32 athletes and sportsmen in the Heroes: Wall of Fame mural project at the Baguio athletic bowl.

“Now it is Harold’s (Banario), a month ago it was Gladys’ (Labsan), then I could be next,” Ged Alangui messaged this writer Wednesday morning.

Vandalized is Banario’s work of former fellow Team Lakay member Mark Eddiva, winner of two Southeast Asian Games gold medals in wushu sanda.

Alangui’s message read: “Some good for nothing individuals vandalized the Heroes wall.”

“It must have happened on Sunday, Monday or yesterday,” added Alangui.

He also said that it was a “concerned jogger (who) told me it was indeed a lady who did it during the (a) sports event here recently.”

He added that the jogger said that “(she is) dark skinned, long hair and around age 30s. Was obnoxious when talked to.”

City Sports Development Officer IV Gaudencio Gonzales said that it could have been the same woman who also tried to deface the mural of the eight Team Lakay champions which Banario did at the athletic bowl ground.

Last month one of Labsan’s Heroes Legends works was “attacked” by an unknown vandal who etched at Christabel Martes’ teeth using a sharp object, maybe a banana or barbecue stick.

Three artists tackled the project and each were assigned works under three categories which are practically finished and ready for launching on June 29.

Labsan tackled Heroes Legends – 12 athletes and sportsmen – most of them either dead or have retired from competition.

They are also the highest achieving athletes and it includes the late World Boxing Association light welterweight Roberto Cruz, Olympic bronze medalists Mariane Mariano and Benjie River, both for wushu sanda when the sport was a demonstration sport in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Two time SEAG marathon queen Christabel Martes and two time SEAG gold medalist Jearome Calica, three time world karate champion Julian Cheesas well as the late strongman Nemesio “Nick” Domalsin and former four time Mr. Asia Sammy Ayochok.

Four sportsmen are also painted on the 6 x 14 feet walls namely, University of Baguio founder Fernando Bautista, Jr., former Gintong Alay and councilor Narciso Padilla, who authored the athletes incentive ordinance, as well as the late Philippine Volleyball Federation president Pedro Mendoza and Philippine Wushu Federation Baguio/Cordilleras president Tony Candelaria.

Banario lent his talent to create the 10 mural Heroes Martial Arts that include fellow Team Lakay member Jean Claude Saclag, formerly a wushu sanda athlete and now a two SEAG gold medalist for kickboxing, former wushu sanda and 2005 SEAG gold medalist Rhea May Rifani and Eddiva, also a former Team Lakay and now a coach in China.

Two karate practitioners are also in the wall – fifth dan belt Edgar Kapawen and former SEAG gold medalist Rey Hilario.

Three are judo players – Sharon and Roland Dino and Helen Dawa, now a kurash player.

The last is three time gold medalist for boxing Alice kate Appari.

Heroes All Sports by Alangui is a 10 athlete murals that include wushu taolu’s Daniel Parantac, Estie Gay Liwanen of kurash, chess International Master Haridas Pascua, former Philippine archer Kareel Meer Hongitan, Philippine volleyball team and former De La Salle University Lady Archer Majoy Baron, golf’s Mars Pucay, former Ateneo de Manila University cagers Gerardo Verzosa and Doug Kramer and car racers Carlos and Inigo Anton.

Antons and the Heroes All Sports

The older Anton, said wife Karen, is “regarded as the most versatile racing driver in the country who has won over 25 National Championships in 8 different disciplines over the past 33 years.”

He is an eight time Automobile Association of the Philippines Driver of the Year, a six time Philippine Hillclimb Champion, an international racing champion with wins in Taiwan, Italy, Korea, and Guam.

Son Inigo, now 17 and an incoming college student, is the youngest ever champion race car driver in the Philippines- he started racing full size cars at age of eight.

He has won 14 Philippine Championship titles in karting, slalom, autocross, circuit racing, Race of Champions, Vios Cup and Virtual Racing.

He is also a top virtual/vimulator racer in the Philippines, ERacing GP SEA Champion and  finished 4th overall in Le Mans, the most prestigious virtual race in the world.

Has represented the country in international races and has won an Asian Karting race in Macau.

The Heroes mural project, done by eponymous Publications and Media Works in coordination with the city of Baguio and support from the Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights and Davies Paints, will be launched on June 29. It will also have two special exhibits, the Heroes Portrait of the Cordillera/Baguio Athletes acrylic on canvas and Heroes Portrait of the Cordillera Athletes as Indigenous Peoples by Eliza Consul which will be put on display at the City Sports Development Office at the Baguio athletic bowl. Pigeon Lobien

SHARE THIS ARTICLE NOW

COMMENTS

Write a Reply or Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *