Nora Aunor (center) with Rosita Constantino Medina (left) and Remedios Santiago Isip (right).
“TAO lang ako, Diyos ko (I’m a human being, my God),” said National Artist Nora Aunor, or Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in real life, to me some years ago outside a studio somewhere in Quezon City.
She candidly admitted to me that, “Ang dami kong kasalanan. Salbahe ako. Siguro naman kung titimbangin mo ang kabutihan at kamalian, lumalamang naman ang kabutihan. Malinis pa rin kahit papaano (I’ve many sins. I’m bad. Perhaps if you weigh the good and bad deeds I’ve done in my life, good deeds overcome the bad ones. I still try to remain clean).”
It was alright for Aunor to hear that her popularity had lessened. “Sabihin nilang laos na ako pero napakapalad ko pa rin kahit na down na down ako, bumabalik pa rin ang swerte. Batid kong may Diyos na Siyang nagpapatnubay sa atin. Ang mga pighati at kahirapan ay nakabubuti rin sa bandang huli. Ginagawa kang maging matatag na harapin ang (It’s okay if they say I’m no longer popular. But I’m fortunate that even if I’m really down, luck comes back. I know there’s God who guides us. Sorrows and hardships can be a blessing in disguise in the end. These things make you strong to face the) harsh realities of life.”
In the past, the Philippines’ multi-awarded “Superstar” had been directed by Gerardo de Leon, Lamberto Avellana, Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara, Mario O’Hara, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, Gil Portes, Elwood Perez, Joel Lamangan, and Brillante Mendoza.
It was Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara who taught her to use her eyes in acting in the film Minsa’y May Isang Gamu-gamo. There is one line in the said movie that Nora could never forget: “Gamu-gamo lang kung ikukumpara sa kanila, pero may isang gamu-gamo na hindi natakot sa lawin (I’m just a moth as compared to them, but there is one moth who is not afraid of the hawk).”
In Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, directed by Mario O’Hara, Nora’s acting was harnessed and she won her first best actress award in the FAMAS in 1976.
However, it was the late director Lino Brocka who improved her forte in acting. In 1990, she captured the FAMAS’ best actress award for her excellent portrayal in the film Andrea, Paano Ba Maging Isang Ina, directed by Gil Portes and written by noted scriptwriter Ricky Lee (now National Artist) who trained me in one of his early original batches of scriptwriting workshops.
In the aforementioned film, the story was based on the true-to-life story of Mrs. Lolita R. Angustia, whose husband was a member of the New People’s Army. In fact, I got to know Lolita and her son more after the tragic death of director Brocka. She even visited our house and joined with me and my good friends, entrepreneur Grace Ibuna and comedienne Evelyn Vargas-Knaebel during a PETA presentation at Fort Santiago that Grace Ibuna actively supported for a good cause.
In the 19th Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt in 1995, Aunor won best actress award for the film The Flor Contemplacion Story, directed by Joel Lamangan, also a noted stage actor.
In 2004, she won best actress award at Brussels Festival of Independent Films in Belgium for her superb portrayal in the film Naglalayag.
Interestingly, Nora one time disclosed to me her dreams in a separate interview. “Madalas akong managinip noon. Ang isa kong panaginip na masaya ay iyong nasa kabundukan ako at ang lahat ng nakapaligid sa akin ay punumpuno ng kagandahan at katahimikan. Pagkatapos, biglang may bumabang isang anghel. Lumapit at tumabi sa akin (I used to dream oftentimes. One happy dream that I had was I was in the mountain and everything that surrounded me was filled with beauty and tranquility. Then, an angel came down who approached me and was beside me),” she narrated at length.
She also saw in her dream a man who holds a crown of thorns.
She continued, ” Ang humahawak ay nasa langit… Mahaba ang kanyang balbas (The one holding is in heaven… He has a long beard).”
Nora came from a religious family in Bicol. At 6 p.m., they prayed the rosary as a whole family. Her father was the one leading the rosary, then her mother would be the next one the following night.
“Ako ang pinakabata noon. Hindi pa ipinapanganak si Eddie Boy (I was the youngest then. Eddie Boy was not yet born),” she said, adding that, “Nakasanayan ko nang magrosaryo noong ako’y bata pa dahil kapag wala sina Itay at Inay, basta kung sino ang nasa bahay ay iyon ang dapat mamuno sa pagrorosaryo (I was accustomed to pray the rosary when I was a child because whenever my father and mother were not at home, whoever was in the house should be the one to lead the rosary).”
When Nora left for Manila to try her luck there, she little by little forgot to do her religious obligation, especially when she entered the showbiz-dom.
Nora joined then a singing competition in a TV show, hosted by German Moreno and Ike Lozada, on Channel 11 along Dewey (now Roxas) Boulevard.
“Ewan kung maaalala pa ni Kuya Germs (or German Moreno) na siya ang unang tumanggi sa akin. Kakanta na sana ako pero nang makita niya ako, isinantabi muna ako (I don’t know if Kuya Germs would still recall that he was the first one who rejected me. I was about to sing then but when he saw me, I was put aside for the moment),” said Nora who was told to come back in another day.
She cried but she never lost determination to showcase her God-given talent. She never thought that Kuya Germs and she would be best friends through thick and thin.
Nora told me she was an avid fan of actress Amalia Fuentes, who did not notice her when they saw each other at Tower Productions. It was actress Susan Roces who took note of her.
“There was one Christmas that I did not expect that Susan Roces sent me a gift. Iyon ang talagang tinandaan ko. Napakabait ni Susan at hindi ko akalain na naalala niya ako. Sino ba ako? Hindi ko akalain na magiging artista ako (That was what I really remember. Susan was kind and I didn’t expect she would remember me. Who was I then? I didn’t expect to be an actress),” vividly narrated Nora who was first introduced to me by my American mother, Rosita Constantino Medina, a relative of the late LVN director Felicing Constantino, and my late sister, Aurora Medina-Kumano, a member of the Vicor Dancers (and later with the Solid Gold Dancers) who was in the Superstar show on RPN 9.
Nora said to me that even though she did not pray the rosary daily, she performed a meditative activity to release tension and lessen problems.
She wrapped up, “Matigas talaga ang ulo ko. Marami na akong dapat natutunan (I was really hard-headed or stubborn. I should have learned many things in life). I realized lately what happened to me before. Maganda pala ang ginawa Niya sa akin (God did good things to me). I didn’t expect that I would become an actress. What I wanted then was a simple job to help my family. Sobra-sobra pa ang ibinigay Niya sa akin. Sa palagay ko’y wala na akong dapat pang hilingin, lalo na sa (God has given me so much good things in life. I won’t wish anything more, especially in my) career.”
