Nas Academy: Whang-Od gave ‘full consent’ to online teaching course

Following accusations of cultural exploitation, Nas Academy, an online platform helmed by Nuseir Yassin aka Nas Daily, has set the record straight with regards to its controversial online course led by Apo Whang-Od.

The program was under fire after Whang-Od’s grandniece, Gracia Palicas, called it a ‘scam‘, claiming that the legendary tattoo artist did not sign a contract to lead the masterclass.

However, a video uploaded by Nas Academy shows Whang-Od affixing her thumbprint on a contract, suggesting the opposite. The caption also says that the Kalinga artist and her family loved the idea of an online course, and worked with the Nas Academy to get it started.

‘As a matter of fact, Whang-Od’s trusted niece, Estella Palangdao, was present and translated the content of the contract prior to Whang-Od affixing her thumbprint, signifying her full consent to the project’, reads the statement.

‘This is the clearest evidence that it is not a scam and achieved the consent of her and her immediate family’.

Palicas earlier said that the 104-year-old artist did not understand the translators who visited her for a feature.

Nas Academy also states that most of the proceeds from the course, which was priced at PHP750, went to Whang-Od and her family. The masterclass was temporarily taken down from the site, while the Academy resolves ‘any issues that have arisen from these falsehoods’.

‘40% of Nas Academy is made up of Filipinos. So for us, this is personal. We care deeply about the Philippines and respect the many cultures and traditions that exist across the country. And we have all come together to make the world a better place.’

Much of the furor surrounding the controversy stemmed from concerns of abuse of the local culture. ‘Pinoybaiting’ was a sore spot as well, as foreign vloggers have a tendency to capitalize on trends and engagements from a country dubbed as the ‘social media capital of the world’.

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Source: we the pvblic