The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is now stepping in to look into the controversy surrounding the Whang-Od tattoo course offered by Nas Academy.
Attorney Marlon Bosantog, regional director of the NCIP-Cordillera Administrative Region, said that they will review the supposed contract between Whang-Od and Nas Academy and specifically check if Free, Prior, and Informed Consent “should have been implemented”.
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To recall, Nas Academy earlier insisted that the tattoo course was consented to by Whang-Od and her family and even attached a video of the traditional tattoo artist affixing her thumbmark in the contract.
“Bandying on social media a contract is not a proof of compliance. The NCIP will make our review and onsite validation and interview, whether the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent process should have been implemented on this incident,” Bosantog said in a Facebook post shared by the NCIP-CAR.
In another Facebook post, Bosantog stressed that attempts to monetize without consent, diminish, and demean such cultural practices “will be dealt with harshly by appropriate penal laws.”
READ ON: Nas Academy insists: Whang-Od, family consented tattoo course
“We are thankful for the immediate response and concern from the public. It shows that the exploitation of our Indigenous Peoples is a public matter deserving of moral outrage,” Bosantog said.
“We do really welcome endeavors to promote, protect, and advocate our cultures and their ancestral bearers,” he added. (NM)
