Rhian Ramos returned recently to the remote village of Buscalan in Tinglayan, Kalinga, to have her skin inked by the great centenarian mambabatok (traditional tattoo artist), Apo Whang-od.
In a series of posts on her Instagram page, the actress-host documented her treasured experience being tattooed by Whang-od for the second time.
Ramos, 26, chose a more complex design apart from her existing scorpion and hawk tattoos, which she acquired in 2014. Her scorpion tattoo on her upper leg was tapped by Whang-Od’s grandniece Grace Palicas, who sketched Ramos’ new tattoo.
In another post, Ramos called on fellow tourists to bring photos of their tattoo experiences with Whang-od upon returning to Kalinga.
“While the rest of us have selfies and galleries full of our faces, apps that remind us of photos from a year ago, the tribe relies on the visitors for prints of past moments. When visiting Buscalan, take a bunch, have them printed, and mail them back to your tour guide. Or bring the prints when you come back,” Ramos urged.
For years, local and foreign tourists have visited Whang-Od, hailed as the last mambabatok in the Philippines. In a plea to resurrect Kalinga’s tattooing craft, biology lecturer Edward Opena has created a petition nominating Whang-od as a national artist, which made waves on social media in 2015. Gianna Francesca Catolico /ra
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