Nas Academy Philippines has responded to the findings of the investigation of the National Council for Indigenous People or NCIP accusing Nas Academy, owned by Nas Daily creator Nuseir Yassin of engaging in an onerous contract.
Nas Academy said that it is not true that Apo Whang-Od did not give consent in affixing her signature to the contract. The academy also denied that they did not explain the contract to the tattoo legend.
“To produce the Whang-Od Academy, we engaged the services of a local production company, known for the projects they produce on Indigenous Peoples. Under our agreement, they were expected to conduct due diligence and comply with all requirements mandated by Philippine law. We were assured that their group would coordinate with Whang-Od, her family, and their community,” the academy said.
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“We spent 2 full days filming with Whang-Od and Estela. There were more than 7 people involved in this process, and Estela set-up a bank account to receive the funds from the project. It is very very hard for Whang-Od Academy to exist without the consent of Whang-Od and her family,” they added.
Nas Academy said that they have presented the contract with her niece as witness and several other people.
“As shown in a portion of the video which we released, you can see that Whang-Od affixed her thumbprint on the contract, only after the contents had been explained to her by the local Filipino production team with the help of Estela. It was only after the permission was granted by the family, that the filming started,” the academy explained.
Nas Academy said that half of the revenues will be given to Whang-Od and Elena opening a bank account is one proof that it was part of the deal.
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“Nas Academy is on a mission to help everyone become a teacher. We engaged with Whang-Od and her family in order to support them during these difficult times. COVID-19 has had a negative impact on tourism for everyone, including Whang-Od. Therefore, we wanted the family to be able to share their culture with the world and be able to sustain themselves on the Internet until this pandemic has ended,” they said.
Nas Academy said they are ready to cooperate with the NCIP but their side was not heard.
“This is not how a fair investigation is held. Both sides must be heard to reach a fair and informed conclusion. We regret the inconvenience made to the public. We think this issue is the result of internal disputes that are outside of our control. That being said, we remain committed to our mission in the Philippines,” they said. (TDT)
