With the end of tribal warfare in the region, Whang-od continues to practice traditional tattooing on tourists visiting Buscalan.

[17][18][19][20] Whang-od started tattooing at the age of 15,[21] a traditional artform that she learned from her father who was considered a master tattooist in the region.

In later life, Whang-od's chosen apprentices consisted of only women, breaking the patrimonial tradition for the first time in recorded Kalinga history.

[24] Some of her notable customers include Rhian Ramos,[29] Drew Arellano,[30] Liza Diño[31] and Ice Seguerra.

[34] The tattoo ink she uses is composed of indigenous materials, usually a mixture of charcoal and water that is tapped into the skin using a thorn from a calamansi or pomelo tree.

[26] She later decided never to marry and has no children,[11] leaving no direct descendants to continue her legacy as a mambabatok or traditional Kalinga tattoo artist.

Whang-od has trained Grace Palicas, her grandniece,[25] and Ilyang Wigan, another bloodline successor, to continue her people's tattoo artistry.

[37] More bloodline successors have gradually become interested in their people's artforms, including a 12-year-old named Den Wigan.

[24] Furthermore, according to Filipino anthropologist Analyn Salvador-Amores, the other batok traditions, which include chanting and fortune-telling, and the revelation of the symbolic meanings of the tattoos, may fade away with Whang-od because these are not transferred to her successors.

[41] The practice of Kalinga tattoos was almost extinct and the idea was obscure, "The tradition of Batok has changed with the modern times in the last millennia.

It is said Whang-od is now teaching 20 young girls, plus her grandnieces the art of mambabatok so that the tradition and knowledge will not die with her and so that her legacy will be carried through her students and grandnieces.[43][when?]

Out of the twenty young students that she teaches, only Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan are considered her only real apprentices; due to tradition, the apprenticeship of batok must only be passed down and taught to blood relatives.

[47] However, the government and some groups doubted her claim as she has not presented any valid documents to prove her birth date.

[48] In June 2017, she received a Philippine postal ID that formally recognized her date of birth as February 17, 1917, making her eligible for benefits under the Centenarians Act.

[46][49] Due to Whang-od's status as the last mambabatok of her generation,[50] her role in bringing awareness to a form of traditional tattooing and training several practitioners,[25][37] many netizens were lobbying her to be one of the National Artists of the Philippines.

[40] Whang-od was formally nominated to the National Living Treasures Award during the 66th Manila Fame event on October 21, 2017.

[24] On February 28, 2018, the Senate of the Philippines unanimously passed a resolution supporting and nominating Whang-od for the GAMABA.

[59][69] In August 2021, Palicas called out a foreigner, Nas Daily, for creating a Whang-od Academy without actual consent from her tribe.

[71][72] American anthropologist Lars Krutak visited Kalinga in 2007 and documented Whang-od's tattoo works.

[22] The episode of Krutak's 10-part series Tattoo Hunter featured on Discovery Channel became the start of presenting the Kalinga culture and Whang-od to a global audience.

[24] In 2010, she was also featured in i-Witness, a documentary television program of GMA Network, that was documented by Kara David.

[57] Her life story was featured in Wagas, a GMA News TV's drama series in 2017, where Janine Gutierrez portrayed Whang-od.