Apo Whang-od finally gets Dangal ng Haraya award

By Noreen Jazul

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Apo Whang-od was conferred the 2018 Dangal ng Haraya Award for Intangible Cultural Heritage by the National Commission of Culture and Arts here Monday night at the Kalinga Capitol Plaza.

The 2018 Dangal ng Haraya Award is given to “individuals and institutions/organizations that have rendered significant and lasting contributions, support, patronage to preservation, development and promotion of Philippine culture and arts.”

Senator Loren Legarda, who is also a Dangal ng Haraya awardee, congratulated the revered tattoo artist for the milestone and commended the last known mambabatok for keeping the age-old Kalinga tattoo practice alive.

“I would like to express my sincerest congratulations to Apo Whang-od for being conferred with the Dangal ng Haraya Award,” said the woman senator.

“Despite Whang-od’s old age and dwindling eyesight, she never stopped practicing the age-old tradition of the Kalinga’s tattoo practice and its visual symbolisms that depict the province’s rituals – from childbirth, adulthood, marriage and death,” Legarda added.

Legarda also called Whang-od as “one of the pillars of our vibrant Filipino culture and living traditions.”

“The commitment of individuals like her in cultural preservation leaves a distinct mark in Philippine history, which creates and completes our distinct national identity,” the senator said in a statement.

Earlier, Senator Nancy Binay also congratulated Whang-od for the lifetime achievement.

“We would like to congratulate Apo Whang-Od for being recognized for her contributions to our culture. Her work helped preserve the traditional Filipino art of batek and the subsequent promotion of the culture of Kalinga,” the senator said. 

Senator Loren Legarda Tuesday also congratulated Apo Whang-od for being conferred the title Dangal ng Haraya by the NCCA.

“As a Dangal ng Haraya awardee myself, and an advocate of Philippine culture and living traditions, I would like to express my sincerest congratulations to Apo Whang-od for being conferred with the Dangal ng Haraya Award,” said Legarda.

Legarda, who was awarded with the Dangal ng Haraya in 2016, acknowledged the contribution of Whang-od in trying to keep alive the age-old tradition of Kalinga’s form of  tattooing, in the midst of emerging modern techniques of this body art.

“Despite Whang-od’s old age and dwindling eyesight, she never stopped practising the age-old tradition of the Kalinga’s tattoo practice and its visual symbolisms that depict the province’s rituals – from childbirth, adulthood, marriage and death,” Legarda said.

“As the last known mambabatok, I somehow feel wistful that the intricate process of Kalinga’s tattoo tradition might soon be forgotten. I am still hoping that younger generations in Kalinga will take on the responsibility of keeping this custom alive, learn and obtain the skills and expertise of Whang-od, so that this symbolic Filipino art will never have to fade away, “ Legarda added.

Legarda noted how Whang-od has dedicated her whole life to her craft as she continues the art form and stands as its living archive which only she holds memory and mastery of.

“Whang-od is one of the pillars of our vibrant Filipino culture and living traditions. The commitment of individuals like her in cultural preservation leaves a distinct mark in Philippine history, which creates and completes our distinct national identity,” Legarda said.