'Superhero' in white

IT could have been just another doctor-patient consultation for Dr. Mary Libeney Sito.

Except that the checkup required a grueling trip to the remote village of Buscalan in the town of Tinglayan in the province of Kalinga in November 2023 to meet the patient: the sprightly centenarian, Apo Whang-Od, dubbed the last traditional tattoo artist of her generation.

Sito said she seldom gets starstruck. But meeting the 107-year-old living legend, also known as Maria Oggay, was an entirely different story.

«She was a sight to behold. Despite her age, she exhibits a kind of grace and agility that can only come from a person who has lived a life well-lived.»

«Now I understand why hordes of people travel to this sleepy town just to get inked by this legendary woman,» the 45-year-old doctor said.

As the primary care physician and designated medical officer for the Schools Division Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Baguio, Sito said it was a chance meeting with public school education supervisor Belen Yagao, one of the granddaughters of the legendary «mambabatok,» at a local conference that led to her memorable encounter with Whang-Od.

Yagao, 44, said the doctor's willingness to go the extra mile, quite literally, to do a medical checkup on her grandmother for free deeply moved her, especially since Whang-Od does not have a resident doctor.

«My grandmother rarely gets sick because she always eats leafy vegetables. However, when she does require medical attention, it is really challenging, given that the nearest hospital is located in Tabuk City, which is quite far from Buscalan,» she said in the vernacular.

Yagao said it was Whang-Od who broached the idea of Sito becoming her physician to save her the trouble of the challenging hike down the rocky hill for her checkup since she has difficulty walking at her age.

«After Dr. Sito examined her, she asked if she was willing to be given the name Dr. Salliya. When she agreed, my grandmother gave her our traditional attire.

»In our culture, being given our native cloth is a symbol of acceptance and inclusion within our Kalinga community," Yagao said.

Today, the legendary centenarian is just one of Sito's many patients who