Everything you need to know on the Nas Daily debacle

What started as an issue calling out a certain creator has gotten a life of its own, branching out into more narratives. At the center of it all is Palestinian-Israeli vlogger Nusseir Yassin better known as Nas Daily and the culture of Pinoy-baiting.

Pinoy-baiting is an online marketing strategy that capitalizes on “Pinoy pride” and targets Filipino viewers with content about the country.

Here's all the tea on the Nas Daily vs Louise Mabulo issue.

It began when Gracia Palicas — grandniece of famed indigenous handpoke tattoo artist Whang Od from Tabuk, Kalinga in Northern Luzon — exposed Nas Daily, accusing him of offering a fake online course on the ancient tattoo art without Whang Od’s knowledge.

Calling it a scam, Palicas spoke about the supposed course in a Facebook post that has since been deleted. “Am sorry to tell you that she will not be joining the Nas Daily. I know you have good intentions of sharing our culture [with] the next generation. However, our village concern is that some people are profiting and exploiting our art and culture,” she said.

Twitter user @tammydavid was able to take screenshots.

Following Palicas' posts, the course offering was taken down from Nas Daily Academy.

Since then, more Filipinos spoke up against the Palestinian-Israeli vlogger.

One of them was GMA reporter Shai Lagarde who shared her friend’s experience with Nas Daily. She later revealed the identity of the friend she was referring to – "The Cacao Project" founder Louise de Guzman Mabulo.

In her own Facebook post, Mabulo called Nas Daily a “neo-colonialist” who was only after clickbait content, after the latter dropped her story. Mabulo said that Nas Daily was disrespectful against Filipinos, mocking their accent and poverty.

Nas Daily clapped back, noting that the only reason he didn’t pursue Mabulo's story was because it was “not true on the ground.”

"Dear Louise. I have also kept my silence for two years out of respect to you. But I can't let you share falsehoods on the Internet for free," the vlogger said.

"Our investigation has made it clear that your story in the media is false. And that there are no '200 farmers' that you work with, and there are no Cacao plantations that you don't personally profit from," he added.

Louise also fired back, stressing that her initiative is real and playfully adding that, “Our farmers are well and real, and are either blissfully unaware of you, or enjoying this exchange over a cup of hot chocolate or coconut water.”

Mabulo’s father, Mayor Fermin Mabulo of San Fernando, Camarines Sur, also took her side. Describing his own encounter with the vlogger, the mayor called him “arrogant.” “Not exactly a role model for the young people to emulate,” the Bicolano mayor added.

The plot thickened even further. In his own post, Mabulo’s classmate Keb Cuevas pointed out that The Cacao Project is not a “social enterprise” as she calls it. According to Cuebas, Mabulo’s family actually own the land, making her a haciendera. Cuevas also opened up about his experience when Mabulo insensitively called him “son” during an argument following his father’s death.

Meanwhile, a Filipino content creator who goes by the name Lost Juan came to Nas Daily's defense, confirming Nas Daily’s account of what had happened in Mabulo’s hometown. However, Lost Juan noted that he has since lost respect for the Palestinian-Israeli vlogger especially when the latter first uploaded his video about Whang Od’s community and called it “Jungle of the Philippines.”

There is currently an online petition urging the Philippine government to declare Nuseir Yassin as a persona non grata in the country for allegedly "exploiting Indigenous Filipino culture and art for money." "He clearly violated the IPRA Law (Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997) Republic Act No. 8371, which is a Philippine law that recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples in the Philippines," the petition read. As of writing, almost 800 people have signed.

Ana Catalina Paje is a development journalist passionate about grassroots communication geared towards genuine social change. She also writes about showbiz, lifestyle, and all things Pinoy pride. The views expressed are her own.