Nas Academy has reconciled with tattoo master Apo Whang-Od and her tribe following the controversy regarding the academy’s online course.
Representatives of Nas Academy recently visited Whang-Od and the Butbut Tribe “to participate in a customary reconciliation process” in coordination with the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
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“Nas Academy respects the wishes of the Butbut tribe, and the previous contract for ‘Whang-Od Academy’ has been deemed null and void,” Nas Academy said in a video posted in its Facebook page.
Jacqueline Lim, who head the Nas Academy Philippines and representative of vlogger Nuseir Yassein or Nas Daily, stressed that their “genuine focus is on education” and that there were “misunderstanding” that led to the controversy.
“We are very grateful to have had this opportunity to clarify and to share our intentions, which was to make sure that education is shared in the Philippines,” Lim said.
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It was on August 4 when the controversy surfaced after Whang-Od’s grandniece Gracia Palicas earlier called the online tattoo course offered by Nas Academy—which features the tattoo artist a “scam”.
According to Palicas, they were not aware of the supposed contract in relation to the online course. Palicas also expressed concerns that their tribe’s art—the Bubut tribe of Kalinga—and culture are being exploited. (NM)
