NAGING usap-usapan sa Facebook ang edad ni Maria Oggay (na mas kilala bilang Apo Whang-Od) matapos magviral ang cryptic post ng isang Facebook user na si Michael Gambican Umaming.
Sa isang Facebook post, kaniyang kwinestyon ang krebilidad ng ibinabalitang impormasyon tungkol sa edad ng tattoo artist mula Buscalan, Kalinga province.
Matatandaang nakatanggap si Apo Whang-Od ng Presidential Medal of Merit noong Pebrero 14 dahil sa kanyang kontribusyon sa sining.
Related Article: Presidential Medal of Merit conferred on Apo Whang-Od
“She is a keeper of oral traditions and a mentor, teaching a new generation of artists, thus ensuring that her art form lives on to tell tales of her community’s history,” saad ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa kanyang talumpati.
courtesy: Facebook.com / @Michael Gambican Umaming
Umapela naman si Umaming sa media at mga mananaliksik na iwasan banggitin na 107 taong gulang na si Apo Whang-Od dahil hindi raw ito totoo.
“The purpose of journalism and research is to ferret out the truth,” dagdag niya.
Ang viral post sa Facebook kalaunan ay nakarating sa Provincial Director noon ng National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Kalinga na si Naty Sugguiyao na naging bahagi ng proyekto noong unang ipakilala sa mundo si Apo Whang-Od.
Ayon kay Sugguiyao, masigasig silang naghanap ng mga ilang buhay na tattoo artist. “We diligently made some searches for some living tattooists and there [were] a couple of women and men tattooist recommended to be featured in the series but it was Whang-od who was the choice of the TV series.”
Courtesy: facebook.com
Idinagdag ni Sugguiyao na ang edad ni Apo Whang-Od ay base sa birth certificate na hindi beripikado.
“From the above, we say she was not the last tattooist, and her age was based on a birth certificate that was not verified. It was not her fault that she got into the pedestal of FAME. So let’s put an end to this,” sabi ni Sugguiyao.
Maraming netizens din ang nagbigay ng mga opinyon tungkol sa isyu.
