Study Room, Malacañan Palace
February 14, 2024

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. warmly received Maria ‘Whang-od’ Oggay, the only remaining ‘Mambabatok’ or master tattooist of ‘batek’ – the folk skin inscriptions of Kalinga – in an audience at the Study Room in Malacañan Palace.

In their meeting, the President lauded the world-famous Whang-od for her craftsmanship and conveyed his congratulations for the well-deserved Presidential Medal of Merit that he will be conferring on the Filipina centenarian.

Accompanied by her family, Maria ‘Whang-od’ Oggay presented native gifts from Kalinga to the President and the First Lady that the Chief Executive gratefully accepted.

The attendees in the event included Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, a fellow centenarian of Whang-od.

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