3. ARTS
Real and complete name : Maria Oggay
Birthday: February 17, 1917 ( age 105 )
Her tribe: known as the last mambabatok from tribe of Butbut
Place she lives: Buscalan, Tinglagan, kalinga, philipines
When she was very young, Whang-od had a boyfriend named Ang-Batang, a Butbut warrior.
She performed a batok on Ang-Batang after the warrior’s first victory in a battle. Many elders
opposed her relations with Ang-Batang, believing the man’s bloodline was not pure. A marriage
was eventually arranged for Ang-Batang and Whang-od’s best friend Hogkajon. Ang-Batang died
as the result of a logging accident when Whang-od was 25 years old
She later decided never to marry, and thus has no children and leaves no direct descendants to
continue her legacy as a mambabatok or traditional Kalinga tattoo artist. She had relationships
with other Kalinga warriors, but remained unmarried due to her vow. According to tradition,
her tattooing skills can only be inherited through lineage. Whang-od believes that if someone
outside the bloodline starts tattooing, the tattoos will become infected. The influence of
modernity meant that the young people of her village were no longer interested in embracing
the tattooing works of their elders for decades, until a rise in appreciation of Indigenous ways in
the 21st century paved the way for the conservation of the art form in Buscalan. Whang-od has
trained Grace Palicas, her grandniece, and Ilyang Wigan, another bloodline successor, to
continue her people’s tattoo artistry. More bloodline successors have gradually become
interested in their people’s artforms, including a 12-year-old named Den Wigan. However, these
successors have not performed the other works of a mambabatok, and their own tattoos are
not as intricate as those of Whang-od. Furthermore, according to Filipino anthropologist Analyn
Salvador-Amores, the other batok traditions, which include chanting and fortune-telling, and
the revelation of the symbolic meanings of the tattoos, may fade away with Whang-od because
these are not transferred to her successors. Chanting and fortune-telling are only performed for
the Kalinga people, never for people outside the ethnic sphere. With that, Whang-od may be
the last mambabatok of her village, unless (1) the indigenous Kalinga peoples themselves
formally choose to get traditional tattoos as part of their modern culture, and (2) her
apprentices master the elaborate and highly difficult tattoo chanting arts before she passes
away
4. PE / HEALTH
Regular physical activity can help children and adolescents improve
cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, control weight,
reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and reduce the risk of
developing health conditions such as:
Heart disease.
Cancer.
Type 2 diabetes.
High blood pressure.
Osteoporosis.
Obesity.
The most effective exercise to burn stomach fat is crunches. Crunches rank
top when we talk of fat-burning exercises. You can start by lying down flat
with your knees bent and your feet on the ground. Lift your hands and then
place them behind the head. You can also keep them crossed on the chest.
Keep a check on your breathing pattern. This exercise will also help in
building abs while melting belly fat.
5. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
Music
I learned from rhythm syllables are important for us because we
can sing in a right tone.
Arts
I learned from Apo Wang-Od that she’s the last mambabatok in
the world and she’s the best making kalinga art.
PE
I learned that exercise is important to stay healthy and strong.
Health
I learned about being healthy is if we eat in a right amount of
food we’ll be very healthy and very active.
