NAS Daily criticized for “Pinoybaiting,” using Apo Whang-Od ‘without permission?’

“Apo Whang-Od is being used by NAS Daily without permission.”

That was the claim by her grand-niece in a Facebook post. She called NAS Academy a scam; that her grandmother did not sign any contract, and “Some people are taking advantage of our culture.“

She ended her post with a strong call to, “PLEASE HELP US STOP this disrespect to the legacy of Apo Whang-Od and the Butbot Tribe.”

Big words.

But that’s not the point why I’m writing this article. (We don’t know the real story about that claim.)

The traditional media agencies made a piece of news out of it soliciting a barrage of nasty comments – many of which from the so-called keyboard warriors.

Many commenters accused Nuseir Yassin of “Pinoybaiting,” or the act of using Philippine-relevant content to drive traffic from the Philippines into the vlogs – apparently because the majority of Filipinos are hungry for global validation – click baits.

Comments went as far as suggesting he be labeled ‘persona-non-grata‘ in the country for “exploiting” our people.

If this is exploitation, how come the likes of Jessica Soho, Catriona Gray, Chinkee Tan, James Deakin, Erwan Heusaff, Moira, Jason Magbanua, Carlo Ople and other personalities with great reputations signed up for this?

Is NAS Daily Pinoybaiting?

NAS travels the world since day 1 to tell simple stories that are relatable to a global audience. While he features each and every place he has been, he does not intend to create stories that would only endear to a particular nationality. In fact, that is against his principles in content creation.

Instead, he hooks the audience through a universal feeling towards the story.

Every story presents a subjective appeal. What’s a good story to some, may not be good for Nuseir, and vice-versa.

When you say Pinoybaiting, rampant mentions of anything Filipino are obvious in the content but oftentimes lack substance. There’s been an influx of foreign Pinoybait vloggers in recent years and I think that has largely dragged Nuseir into the conversation.

But, if you look deeper into his platform, would you really put NAS Daily into that category? I mean, his content about the Philippines is not even amounting to a quarter of everything he has created.

Is he taking advantage of our culture?

They say, “how we see things define who we are.” If this is the first angle we see about this program, well it says a lot about us.

I may not be 100% in favor of doing this course online not only because it isn’t close to my heart. But, because, when you say Apo Whang-Od, you are talking about a cultural heritage (as my friend aptly describes it). It goes a long way down to her rich lineage.

It’s just not your usual tattoo session. The experience of trekking through the mountains is part of the package – a journey that you won’t get online.

NAS Academy presents the course using the following blueprint:

“Prepare to learn a 1000-year-old art form from the last Kalinga tattoo artist in the world: Whang-od. This 104-year-old legend will reveal all her rituals, tools, and methods for making traditional tattoos. All packed in a course that’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before!”

Now, will the heritage be ruined if Apo Whang-Od extends her reach through the digital platform? Will the culture be tarnished, or will it be amplified?

Can’t we at least celebrate the fact that a person of influence recognizes our champion in Apo Whang-Od, the same way he recognizes the excellence of Jessica Soho, Catriona Gray, Chinkee Tan, and others who are being groomed as world-class mentors to train diverse sets of students from all over the world?

Why do we have to go far in pulling someone down?

Using the Filipinos?

By establishing a company, he has created employment opportunities for many Filipinos currently working at NAS Daily.

He founded NAS Academy to train aspiring content creators, Filipinos included.

Yes, he is ‘using‘ Filipinos just as he ‘uses‘ other nationalities as well. But he hired them not because they are Filipinos but because of their talent and value as a person.

The problem with many of us is we easily become itchy to any talks surrounding our nationality that often gives us a misplaced sense of pride.

And because of this toxic cancel culture, we are so quick to invalidate everything the man has done just because of a one-sided, unverified issue.

Why am I speaking up?

As a fellow content creator, I had an opportunity to hear his thoughts in a few storytelling sessions. He never suggested anything about milking or “baiting” for likes and views; never talked about exploiting the hunger for validation in creating content; never singled out a particular country because of the high traffic it may bring.

Instead, he constantly encourages aspiring creators to make compelling stories with relevance to people no matter where they are in the world, and with an impactful call to action.

I usually keep mum about online outrage, but this one has gotten way off. Media outlets have shaped this up in a fashion that triggers a wave of negative emotions.

It’s not about defending NAS. I believe, if there are indeed any mistakes or lapses in this whole Apo Whang-Od issue, he is accountable for that.

But why are we so quick to judge even without hearing the other side? Whatever happened to giving the benefit of the doubt? Why did we allow “cancel culture” to become our culture?