Who Is Apo Whang Od

Her real name is Maria Oggay, but she is famous as Apo Whang Od. Charming and fit at the age of 104, Apo Whang Od is the oldest and the last (among the originals) mambabatok of Kalinga. Batok is a traditional hand-tapped tattoo made on to the warriors who protected the village or killed the enemy. Nowadays, Apo Whang Od applies tattoos on tourists from all over the world.

Whang Od has been tattooing since 15 years old, and every design she made had symbolic meaning. Indeed, a master herself, hence the title Apo. But since 2017, probably due to her advancing age and the continuous influx of tourists, her signature tattoo is now composed of three dots, representing herself and her two apprentices.

Traditionally, only men with tattooing ancestry were allowed to learn the art. Apo Whang Od was an exception due to her special talent noticed by her father. Because she has no child to continue her legacy, Apo Whang Od passed it on to two women from her bloodline, one of them is Grace Palicas whom we have met during our visit. Last February 2019, we visited Apo Whang Od at Buscalan Village, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines on a 2D1N joiner trip.

Cost

PHP 2,799 per person for 12 pax/van

Itinerary

Day 0

21:00 – Pick up at meeting point

Day 1

05:30 – Breakfast (own account)

08:00 – Arrived at jump off point to Buscalan

As the village is not accessible by any land vehicle, a 30 to 60-minute hike is necessary to reach Buscalan. For me, it was an easy trek. The only challenging part was the initial climbing down of a cliff, specially if it rains. Luckily, the whole trip was dry and sunny.

We went straight to our homestay accommodation when we arrived at Buscalan Village. Just outside the house was Apo Whang Od tattooing local tourists. Because tattoo is not allowed in our religion, we came to literally meet her. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience so why not.

Note: Lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day were hosted.

Day 2

We left for Manila. As we were mostly asleep during our journey to Tinglayan, it was this day when we realized how scenic the view was as we drove through the narrow and curvy roads. The mountainous terrains were awesome!

My tips and thoughts:
👍🏼 Prepare for a long road trip;
👍🏼 Bring food, but make sure you can carry them, and best if you can 
share them;
👍🏼 If possible, bring sheets and blanket, or sleeping bag. Expect no 
sophisticated inns;
👍🏼 Experience a cold bath;
👍🏼 Condition yourself to be disconnected from the rest of the world as 
there is no cellular network; 
👎🏼 Not ideal for delicate ones (maselan).

Although a DIY is possible, I recommend you join an organized tour for a hassle free trip like the Wander Twins Travel.

The recent controversy with The Nas Academy made me realize that Apo Whang Od is not just a legend in Philippine arts, but even more popular than I already thought, as in international level 😱

Have you been inked by the last mambabatok? Share your photo at the comments section.

❤️,
Sugar