Nora Aunor—JUSTICE FOR THE NATIONAL ARTIST FACEBOOK PAGE
The campaign to declare the Superstar a National Artist for film is officially on again.
Chris Millado, vice president and artistic director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), has confirmed that singer-actress Nora Aunor is automatically included in the last phase of the deliberations for National Artist.
The committee in charge of the award had already shortlisted Aunor, but former president Benigno Aquino III removed her name from the lineup in 2014.
Informed of the latest development, Aunor told the Inquirer that it’s good news to her loyal Noranians: “Kung loloobin po ng Diyos, siyempre masaya ako para sa mga taong nagmamalasakit…lalo na sa lahat ng fans na magpahanggang ngayon ay patuloy na sumusuporta at nagmamahal.”
She turned introspective, saying it could only happen in God’s time: “Ito po ay kung kalooban na ng nasa taas. Pero kung hindi pa rin po, OK lang naman sa akin.”
Whether she receives the honor or not, she remains steadfast in her goal to make socially relevant films. Case in point: She is now working on a dream collaboration with Ricky Lee, the scriptwriter behind her classic film, Ishmael Bernal’s “Himala.”
La Aunor asserted: “Hindi ito magiging dahilan para mahinto ang paggawa ko ng makabuluhang pelikula na hindi makakalimutan ng mga tagapanood natin. Gusto ko na ngang matuloy ang pagdidirek namin ni Kuya Ricky.”—BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.