MANILA, Philippines — Content creator Nuseir Yassin, popularly known as Nas Daily, issued a statement today, attesting that the Whang-Od Academy is legitimate.
In its Tagalog Facebook page, Nas Daily posted a video showing Apo Whang-Od signing an agreement through her thumbmark.
“There has been a post circulating online regarding our beloved Whang-Od Academy. The post claims that Whang-Od has no knowledge of the Academy and that this is a scam. As a company, we have been champions of the Philippines from Day 1, so this makes us very sad to hear. Let us set the record straight,” Nas wrote in the caption.
Nas said that Whang-Od and her family loved the idea and worked with them to build the academy.
“We approached Whang-Od because just like you, we love her. We love her traditions, and are inspired by her. We wanted to share her culture for future generations to appreciate and respect the ancient Kalinga tradition of mambabatok,” he said.
“So we pitched her family the idea of creating Whang-Od Academy. Her and her family present both loved this idea, and have worked WITH US to build it, with Whang-Od teaching herself. As a matter of fact, Whang-Od’s trusted niece, Estella Palangdao, was present and translated the content of the contract prior to Whang-Od affixing her thumbprint, signifying her full consent to the project. This is the clearest evidence that it is not a scam and achieved the consent of her and her immediate family,” he added.
The vlogger, who rose to fame by making one-minute videos uploaded daily, said Whang-Od and her family were properly compensated and most of the sales went directly to Whang-Od and her family as Nas' company only provides the technology and marketing.
“Everybody was compensated for their time, and for every sale the Whang-Od Academy generates, most of it went directly to her and her family. We just provided the technology and the marketing,” he said.
“So naturally, when we saw the falsehoods circulating online, we were sad. The truth is often times not as simple as a 'tweet.' And online falsehoods can be dangerous. Out of respect for her family, we temporarily took down Whang-Od Academy while we resolve any issues that have arisen from these falsehoods,” he added.
Nas also said that almost half of the crew of the Nas Academy are Filipinos so they respect cultures and traditions.
“40% of Nas Academy is made up of Filipinos. So for us, this is personal. We care deeply about the Philippines and respect the many cultures and traditions that exist across the country. And we have all come together to make the world a better place,” he said.
“Thank you for supporting our mission!”
Nas' statement came after allegations of cultural "exploitation," wherein he was allegedly using Filipino culture for personal fame and gain.
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