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Filipina tattoo artist featured in New York Times waiting for Coco Martin

Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo - Philstar.com

May 16, 2017 | 8:39am

Filipina tattoo artist featured in New York Times waiting for Coco Martin

'Ang Probinsyana' and 'Ang Probinsyano' Kalinga ritual tattoo artist Maria Fang-od Oggay (left, photo from Looloo Insights) wishes to meet Filipino action star Coco Martin (right, file photo).

NEW YORK — Coco Martin's on-screen girlfriend, Yassi Pressman, and rumored real-life lady love, Julia Montes, now have another challenger vying for the actor's heart.

A Filipina tribal tattoo artist featured in The New York Times (NYT) on Monday revealed that she is still waiting for a visit from her biggest celebrity crush, Coco Martin.

In a lengthy article written by Aurora Almendral, Maria Fang-od Oggay, a ritual tattoo artist from the Butbut tribe of the Kalinga ethnic group of northern Philippines, confessed that she is fond of the "Ang Probinsyano" leading man and yearns to meet him soon.

For now, according to the article, the centenarian "contents herself with a life-size cardboard cutout" of the soap opera action star.

Titled ?"At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive," the article expounds on Oggay's lifestyle and heritage as a tattoo artist sought after by tourists from as far as Mexico and Slovenia.

In the article, Fang-od, as she was called, has been repeatedly referred to as a "Ms."

The NYT story says Ms. Fang-od belongs to the last generation bearing a full set of traditional tattoos and is one of the few who remember how they were done. As such, she was also featured in the 2009 documentary series, “Tattoo Hunter," by American anthropologist, Dr. Lars Krutak.

For Fang-od's contribution to cultural preservation, maybe Martin, who is also single, could squeeze in some time to visit her in her mountain village of Buscalan, with the hope that Julia and Yassi would not mind.

Meet Maria Fang-od Oggay. Maria is a ritual #tattoo artist of the Butbut tribe of the Kalinga ethnic group in the northern Philippines. People travel from as far away as Mexico and Slovenia to come to see her at home in Buscalan, a mile hike from the nearest dirt road through foggy forest and centuries-old rice terraces. On an average day, Maria finishes 14 #tattoos before lunch — not a bad day’s work for someone said to be 100 years old. A century ago, tattoos for Kalinga women were decorative. They represented beauty and status. Men earned tattoos through acts of bravery, notably through ritual headhunting. Maria has single-handedly kept the ancient tradition alive, and in the process transformed her remote village into a mecca for tourists. Every morning, she mixes an ink out of pine soot and water. She threads a thorn from a bitter citrus tree into a reed, crouches on a 3-inch-high stool and, folded up like a cricket, hand-taps tattoos onto backs, wrists and chests. Although people line up to see her, Maria says she’s still waiting for a visit from her celebrity crush, the Filipino actor @mr.cocomartin. For now, she contents herself with a life-size cardboard cutout. Visit the link in our profile to see more of @jeszmann’s photos of the woman keeping a #Philippine tradition alive. #tattoostyle

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May 15, 2017 at 3:10pm PDT