 He spoke out against murder allegations leveled at Senator Panfilo Lacson in 2010, after Lacson had fled the country for Hong Kong.Banayo was appointed to head the National Food Authority by President Benigno Aquino III, amidst accusations of over-importation by outgoing president Gloria Arroyo's administration.In response to President Aquino's complaints of rice stocks "rotting in government warehouses", he appointed a private-sector auditor to investigate the NFA's rice procurement and importation system.