She used to be single after being broken hearted by her then boyfriend who was then married to her best friend due to bloodline issue (not royal and pure). That’s why she called the last mambabatok because she doesn’t have the heir or a direct descendant to continue her legacy and the practice of traditional tattooing. But as the millennium unfolds, the beliefs has changed and so Whang-od trained her grandniece named Grace (which is also quite famous in the village) and Ilyang, both came from her bloodline to be her successor. Moreover, it opens an opportunity as well to other non-bloodline believers and followers to learn the mambabatok. That concludes that Apo Whang-od would not be the last mambabatok and the future next generations can still experience this ancient tradition of tattooing by the Butbut tribe.

Apo Whang-od is extraordinary for breaking the long term tradition of her tribe to be the first woman to do the batok, their traditional tattoo art-form that customarily intended for male. But she got that exceptional talent for this art and that allowed her to learn and grow the practice and passed on from generation to generation. Today, her apprentice and future mambabatok constituted by women.

Luckily, you do not need to catch Whang-od to get inked by her since you will have plenty of options for that. In our case, we invited some apprentice to mark our body with their traditional prints and witness the unique ways of printing out into our skin. But by chance, you can actually catch Apo Whang-od on an early session with only first few people selected if you wanted it personally to be made by her. For us, we just had a photo session for Php 50.00/head with her instead and some got a signature tattoo (3 dots). Grace her grandniece on the other hand will be your next option just in case you missed her around since I believe she’s limiting her exposure due to her age (this was just my assumptions).  

In 2018, Apo Whang-od awarded with the prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). While her nomination as the National Living Treasures Award (Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan) is still on process to date since 2017 by NCCA.

Getting Inked at Buscalan by a Mambabatok

Probably, you won’t get away from Buscalan without getting a tattoo. I am certain it is one of the major highlights in visiting the place and as mentioned, lots of young artists are now learning how to ink. This place is in fact a safe haven for aspiring tattoo artists.  Tattoo here is still a taboo (sacred) and also an art of expressing yourself. Back then, the tattoo is a symbol of pride for the tribe especially for headhunters and soldiers who won against their enemies. And now, for me, it's an art printed in your skin that connects to your heart and fueling your soul. 

Ranging from (lowest) Php 300.00 to Php 2,000.00+ (highest) you can have your own tattoo proudly made in Buscalan. There’s a wide range of designs to choose, from small to large tattoos, tribal ones with each characters represents their culture and beliefs or you can actually ask them to ink instead your personal design. However, prices may vary than the usual based on how hard could it be for them to get it done.

This series is still part of our trip to Buscalan and a travel inclusion except for above mentioned fees that are actually excluded and a compulsory expenses by each of us.  

I also wanted to grant this opportunity to say thank you to May Anne Fuente [Facebook@mayanne.fuerte] for taking my photos during the session. She's a teacher, a writer, award winning coach, dancer (sabi niya) and a singer (collab minsan). 

The North especially Baguio and Sagada are quite famous for people who does their “soul search”. You can look around in Google or in your dictionaries the meaning of the word but for me, it is all about “serenity”, “finding answers”, “looking for your purpose” and “a time to reflect and replenishing your soul”.

It was a short and quick decision to make to join again for the second time around a trip to Buscalan and Sagada for 3 days and 2 nights together with other travel joiners. Fortunately, the team composed of 12 people including the driver and the travel coordinator are from the South – Cavite indeed. We left Pasay at around 9:00PM and arrived in Banaue at 4:30AM and its 30 minutes earlier compared to our schedule. It was really quick for an 8-9 hours travel time from Manila so we had some coffee and bio-break before leaving going to Banaue Rice Terraces View Point in Batad, our first stop.

Banaue Rice Terraces View Point - Batad

Before heading out to Buscalan, which is about three and a half hours more or less, we did a side trip in one of the acclaimed and pride of Filipinos, the Banaue Rice Terraces or Hagdan-hagdang Palayan in local term. Anthropologists believed that this natural wonder is over 2000 years old but some says it’s beyond than that. Built by the indigenous people of Banaue or the Ifugao's, this rice terraces stands 1,500 meters above sea level. Ancient irrigation system allows the terraces to grow rice and other crops up to this date.

Batad - Banaue Rice Terraces View Point [Photo: Hannah Cesista]

The Cordilleras is a mountain region in the northern part of Luzon consists of six provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province. Rich in mountains and rivers but fewer plains to grow rice and other crops especially in Benguet and Mountain Province, the locals has to carve out the mountains and convert into such beautiful rice terraces where they could plant and grow respectively. The Banaue Rice Terraces is a pre-colonial testament that is few in the Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by other colonial cultures especially Spanish who ruled the country for over three centuries. Luckily, it was not heavily damaged during Japanese and American invasion.

Banaue Rice Terraces View Point - Batad [Photo: Margaret Cupino]

In 1973, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the Philippine government and considered as one of the Eighth Wonder of the World. Though it is not an official title, Filipinos are purely proud for Banaue to be included in the listings. Unfortunately, due to several modern structures around the site, it hits down the score for integrity criterion and it was not then included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site so to speak.

Sunrise at Banaue Rice Terraces View Deck [Photo: Romano Beunavista]

And it was an awed for the Filipinos and the entire Philippines when it appears in the finale scene of 2018 highest grossing film of the year and fourth highest grossing film of all time, “Avengers: Infinity War”.

An Ifugao rice god, "The Bulul" [Photo: Roman Buenavista]

Buscalan Tattoo Village

Buscalan is one of the 20 barangays in Tinglayan, Kalinga. Perhaps one of the famous spots in the province due to its popular local celebrity, who is also known as the last mambabatok or traditional tattoo artist, Apo Whang-od, a Butbut tribe origin. The village is situated on top of the mountain, which is about an hour trekking to some but it takes forever for those joints and legs that the only trekking made so far is from their living room going to their bedrooms at the second floor (hahaha). I bet, aside from Whang-od, this is one of the best part in Buscalan. Some sort of exercise though.

Overlooking the Buscalan Tattoo Village

Fluctuating from 10-15C temperature (even actually lower), sweats are running down from head to toe and that glamour and freshness has gone for good but an awesome view from the mountaintop once you reach the village and back is all worth it. Lush green mountains and cliffs, running rivers, Buscalan's rice terraces and a remote village that is full of life was an absolute perfection of living away from the metropolis and a perfect place to soul search indeed.

Rice Terraces in Buscalan Tattoo Village

We stayed at the homestay organized by our travel agency for one good night. It’s a simple abode made of concrete and wood but truly signifies the unique architectural style of Kalinga. The water is cold by the way like freshly out from the fridge. Even the temperature at night is cold enough as if you’re having an air-conditioner and thus, a jacket, your warmer and that pants is a must to bring when visiting the place.

Morning Coffee [Photo: Macja]

Essential Things to Bring

Tumblr for water and some biscuits for snacks

Warmer, jackets and pants for those who gets cold easily like me

Cash or money since they don’t have ATM’s or banks

Design of your own tattoo just in case you would like a personalized one

Patience, endurance and stamina

Welcome Sign Board - Buscalan Tattoo Village

Trip to Buscalan and Sagada made possible by below travel organizers. You can check out their Facebook page for more details. For this trip as a travel joiner, I spent around Php 5,000.00+. That is Php 3,599.00 for the tour itself inclusive of transportation, accommodation, meals and environmental fees. The rest of Php 1,500 were used to pay other excluded fees such as for tour guide, other optional activities and souvenir shopping.