Vice President Sara Duterte went against her mother’s wishes and had herself tattooed by 107-year-old Apo Whang-Od, the oldest tattoo artist in the world, during a recent trip to Buscalan, Kalinga province over the weekend.
Vice President Sara Duterte gets inked by Apo Whang-Od in Buscalan, Kalinga (Photo courtesy of Sara Region VI/Facebook)
The official, who earlier promised her mother she won’t get another tattoo, can’t help but say no to Whang-Od, the centenarian who’s considered a living legend and has been hand-tapping tattoos on skin since she was a teenager.
Duterte shared that the tattoo artist asked her four times to get tattooed by her before she finally relented.
“Tapos ulit na naman siya, ‘Halika. Sabi ko magpaalam muna ako sa nanay ko.’ Nung pangatlo, ‘Halika, itago lang natin para hindi makita ng nanay mo (She said again, ‘come. I told her I need to ask permission from my mother.’ On the third time, ‘come, let’s hide it so your mother won’t see it),” she narrated when she spoke to Buscalan residents.
“Sa pang apat, hindi na ako na nakahindi dahil ang isang senior citizen na mismo ang apat na beses na nagsabi na tattoo-an kita. Kaya masaya din ako dahil meron din ako tulad ninyong lahat na tatoo ni Apo Whang-Od (On the fourth time, I cannot say no anymore because a senior citizen asked me four times to have a tattoo. I am happy, too, because I now have a tattoo by Apo Whang-Od like you),” she added.
Duterte, who was also seen in a video uploaded by netizens barefooted and dancing to a tribal dance with community members, recalled that her mother specifically asked her not to get a tattoo when she told her she’ll be introducing herself to Whang-Od and the community in Kalinga.
The Vice President said she didn’t intend to have a tattoo, and that she was simply accompanying some of the personnel from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) who wanted to have a tattoo.
“So, ilang beses niya sinabi noong nagpaalam ako noong pang ilang mga araw nangamusta siya sa akin, inulit na naman niya (So, she repeatedly told me not to get a tattoo),” she added.
Tourists, influencers, and cultural enthusiasts alike have visited Whang-Od, who has been practicing “batok,” a traditional form of tattooing, for over nine decades.
To reach Whang-Od, reports said one has to travel for more than 12 hours from Manila. A hike to the mountain village of Buscalan is also part of the journey.