THE NATIONAL Commission on Indigenous People said that tattoo artist Maria Oggay, popularly known as “Apo Whang-Od” has not given Nas Academy consent to teach Kalinga Art.

In a statement on Monday, NCIP said its investigation found that Apo Whang-Od was not aware of the contract.

“Apo Whang-od is not aware of any contact and she did not affix her thumb mark in any contract for this account,” NCIP said.

“No provision of the contract was explained or discussed to her or to her representative, or what was assured of her is external terms of the contract,” it added.

The NCIP added that the contract presented by the academy’s part was onerous.

It added that it will provide legal assistance to the camp of Whang-Od should it pursue a legal bout.

The academy’s camp, meanwhile, vehemently denied the claim and said that the artist will benefit from the project.

“Under our agreement, they were expected to conduct due diligence and comply with all requirements mandated by Philippine law. We were assured that their group would coordinate with Whang-Od, her family, and their community,” Nas Academy said on Facebook.

The academy also said that the issue is a result of an internal dispute and apologized to the public for the “inconvenience.”