Nas Academy, a learning platform under Nas Daily, addressed the accusation of exploiting Philippine culture and “scam” collaboration with Filipino artist, Whang-Od, Thursday, August 5.

In a statement released by Nas Academy, the team responded to the different claims and bashing surfacing in social media.

The team clears that they respect Whang-Od and they just wanted to share her story.

“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. Along with the statement, Nas Daily posted a video showing Whang-Od affixing her thumbprint as part of agreeing with the project,” Nas Academy posted on facebook.

Along with the statement, a video was posted showing Whang-Od affixing her thumbprint together with her niece, Estella Palangdao, and a translator.

“So we pitched her family the idea of creating Whang-Od Academy. She 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 explained.

https://www.facebook.com/NasAcademy/videos/3024322217829308

“This is the clearest evidence that it is not a scam and achieved the consent of her and her immediate family,” he claimed.

The content creator also noted that most proceeds will go to Whang-Od’s family, and their team will just provide the marketing and technical support.

Nas Academy explained that for every sale Whang-Od would receive will go directly to her and her family. “We just provided the technology and the marketing,” he said.

Furthermore, Nas Daily stated the reason why they deleted the Whang-Od Academy page yesterday, August 4, after the issue became a media frenzy.

“So naturally, when we saw the falsehoods circulating online, we were sad. The truth is oftentimes 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 Academy treasures its employees consisting mostly of Filipinos and deeply shows sincerity and support to the country.

“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. Thank you for supporting our mission!” he ended.