THERE is a lot of buzz going around these past week after the one and only Superstar Nora “Ate Guy” Aunor was excluded from the list of National Artists this year.
It was no less than Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino who chose to exclude Nora, and was the only reported nominee by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) who was dropped of the list.
The others who were chosen to be conferred the National Artist Award are Alice Reyes (Dance), Francisco Coching (Visual Arts, posthumous), Cirilo Bautista (Literature), Francisco Feliciano (Music), Ramon Santos (Music) at Jose Ma. Zaragoza (Architecture, Design, and Allied Arts; posthumous).
This fueled the growing sentiment by artists, showbiz personalities and the public in general, who believes that Ate Guy deserves the honor based on her talent, body of work and numerous recognition she received from local and international bodies.
Initially, Malacañang issued a statement that the decision to exclude Nora was based on national interest. However, the main reason came out as the Superstar’s drug past.
It could be remembered that Nora committed and pleaded guilty to a felony of possession of illegal drugs in Los Angeles. However, in October 2007, the case was dismissed and stricken of the record because the veteran actress met court requirements that included a drug treatment program and community service.
Nora’s lawyer for her case, Claire Navarro Espina clarified Aquino’s (misinformed) basis for excluding the actress from the list. “Nora Aunor was never convicted of a crime, let alone a crime involving drugs here in Los Angeles,” she said in a Facebook post.
Action star, Robin Padilla: He said Nora’s personal history should not be a consideration when assessing the artistic merits of the veteran actress. “Hindi naman canonization ito. Hindi natin siya gusto gawing santo. Hindi siya national saint. (The Philippine Star, June 25).
The Master Showman, showbiz veteran and talent manager German Moreno: “Ano ba naman, Ano ba naman. Ito talaga artista eh. Nakita naman eh, pati mga taga ibang bansa, kinilala siya, in-honor siya. So, ano ba talaga ang diperensya natin?”. “Eh ‘yung champion natin dino-down pa eh, isipin mo. Nakakalungkot talaga.” (Balitanghali, June 24).
Comedienne Ai-Ai de las Alas: “…Hindi rin basehan kung anong personality or kung ano’ng natsitsismis about you. I think, ang pagiging basehan ng National Artist, kung ano yung na-contribute mo na art sa pagiging artista mo at sa buhay mo. And in fairness (din) kay Ate Guy, sa stature niya in show business, I think she’s the only Superstar nang natawag buong Pilipinas.” (Pep.ph, July 1)
Nora’s daughter, actress Lotlot de Leon: “Ang nag-iisang national artist ng buhay namin … mahal na mahal ka namin! (The one and only national artist in our lives… we love you very much!).” (Facebook post).
Director Wenn Deramas: “Napagkaka-isa-isa niya noon ‘yan na parang isang bayani na papanoorin ang pelikula, tulungan ang industrya ng pelikula, iangat ang kalidad ng pag-arte. Kasi si Nora ang nag-revolutionized ng lahat. Para siyang si Andres Bonifacio. Mula sa hitsura hanggang sa style ng acting, binago niya lahat yan.”
