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Philippines, 09 Aug 2025 |
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INKSIDE Track: A Quarantine Story Tattooed in Mactan By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Sat, 09 Aug 2025  It started with a canceled tattoo appointment. April 2020. Like many during the early days of the pandemic, my son and I found ourselves stranded somewhere we never expected—Mactan Island. Specifically, Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu. The world had hit pause. Flights were grounded. Plans faded. Life became checkpoints, curfews, and quiet routines. Our boxing-themed Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao tour? It didn’t even get past the Visayas. So there we were. Grant and I. Floating through the stillness. Taking each day as it came… caught in the space between rest and unease. One slow afternoon (there were plenty), we streamed an episode of Xiao Time. Professor Michael Charles Chua spoke about Filipino tattoo traditions—how they weren’t just for style, but for storytelling. Marks of valor. Identity made visible. 
“Dad, do you think I should get a tattoo?” Grant asked. “Sure,” I agreed though with the tone of a non-believer of wearable art , “but for me, no thanks.” We had another artist lined up, but he couldn’t get through. Lockdown rules were strict. Barangay Tanods kept close watch—and rightly so. ECQ, GCQ, or the surreptitiously hidden BBQ, varying degrees of quarantine that seemed like cruel jokes. Then a friend told us about a local artist named Brian Bonbon, Owner of Inksider Tattoo, just nearby. Our hotel, JPark, strictly didn’t allow visitors. As luck would have it, the family of Mr. and Mrs. Christian and Jean Chavez Balbuena, who lived close by, welcomed us into their home. That’s where we met Brian. He came quietly. No big entrance. No sales pitch. Just a soft hello and the steady energy of someone ready to create. From the start, it was clear—this guy could work. His hands were steady. His focus never wavered. No flash. No chatter. Just calm, sure movements. Every tattoo he gave Grant became more than just ink. They were timestamps. A way to hold on to that strange stretch of time. Before we left Cebu, I took Brian to lunch. I asked something I’d been meaning to. “Have you ever tried painting?” I inquired. He paused. “Sir, I haven’t. I just draw or tattoo.” “Well,” I said, “I think you can. I suggest treating the canvas like skin. Try painting a boxer the same way you ink people.” 
(L-R) Brian Bonbon and his art idol Jun Aquino. By March 23, 2024, we stood at the Gala of Champions, inside the Manila Grand Opera Hotel. His art hung beside vintage fight photos and works by seasoned veterans. “How’d you figure this out?” I asked. “You gave me the idea,” he said. “I just watched some videos on YouTube and and tried my best.” He nodded. That was it. But I noticed the sparkle in his eyes. This was a welcomed challenge. Nearly a year passed. Then one afternoon—no warning, no buildup—a message appeared. And there it was. His first painting. Raw. Unpolished. Alive. And he didn’t stop. He painted a few more boxing greats. 
(L-R) Mr. Inksider with Luisito “Lindol” Espinosa in front of his paintings. That’s Brian. Humble. Quiet. Steady. Focused. He won’t say much—but his work does. Today, he’s married. A father. Still tattooing. Still painting. Still helping people tell their stories. 
A Tribute for Whang-od One piece honors Whang-od, the legendary mambabatok. Another—‘Warriors of Mactan’—blends the face of Lapulapu with Manny Pacquiao. It’s a bold mix. But if you’re from Mactan, the Land of Pinoy Warriors, it makes sense. Looking back, I’m grateful we got stuck in Cebu. We didn’t mean to stay long. And we didn’t plan to meet Brian. Life is indeed full of surprises. To Brian Bonbon, thank you for trusting your hands and your heart. Through your art, you carry the stories of the Philippines’ greatest boxers forward. Daghang salamat, Mr. Inksider. Author's Notes: If you’re ever in Lapu-Lapu City, look for Inksider Tattoo Shop. You might just walk in for a tattoo and leave with something even more meaningful. 
• Brian P. Bonbon, Owner and Artist • Address: (Inksider Cebu tattoo) Looc Maribago Lapu-lapu City,Cebu • Contact number:(+63)9254548428 Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.  |
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