Nora’s birthday musings—from the ABS-CBN shutdown to her upcoming ‘monovlog’ performance

Nora Aunor

Nora Aunor’s latest project, Layeta Bucoy’s “Lola Doc,” makes another strong case for the call to give the actress the National Artist award—and, setting aside politics, red tape and fandom, you know it’s high time to give the country’s premier actress an honor she truly deserves while she’s still active and strong enough to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

After all, no other Filipino performer, male or female, can lay claim to a distinguished career that has single-handedly blurred the lines between phenomenal commercial success and singular critical acclaim.

Hers is a Cinderella story snug fit for every Pinoy in dire need of “accessible” and “relatable” idols they can emulate.

But there’s another quality about this particular movie queen that sets her apart from other “big” stars, easily separating the wheat from the chaff—and it’s something no amount of technical skill or showy bravado can “manufacture”: Empathy.

In our view, one can never be the effective actor he aspires to be without it. That’s why we cannot completely commiserate with performers who claim to be prayerful, law-abiding Filipinos but still think there’s nothing wrong with extrajudicial killings, misogyny and flagrant human rights abuses.

We don’t really get to speak with Ate Guy as often as her fans would like us to, but she was one of the first industry insiders, among them our friends from GMA CorpComm, who actually asked us how we were doing a week after the lockdown began. We’re really no damsel in distress, that’s for sure, but we nonetheless found the gesture sweet and touching just the same.

Nope, it wasn’t a promotional gimmick—in fact, Ate Guy didn’t even reach out to us for help in promoting her latest drama series “Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit,” GMA 7’s adaptation of her 1989 film with Tirso Cruz III, when it began its run on Feb. 24.

In our chat with Ate Guy last Wednesday, she told us how thrilled and nervous she was about her upcoming birthday performance in “Lola Doc”—to be streamed on May 21 at 6 p.m. on Tanghalang Pilipino’s YouTube channel, so better mark that virtual calendar, dear readers. It’s about a senior frontliner who grieves the death of her loved one during the pandemic.

More than anything, the Superstar’s foray into a nontraditional “high-tech” performing platform demonstrates how well this national treasure is keeping up with the times—and modern technology! And it was such a treat for us to end that short but sweet exchange on Facebook with the cutest emoji we’ve received that day.

Last Sunday, after she asked us how we were, she told us she was praying for the end of the global war against Covid-19. “Sana po matapos na ang giyerang ito para bumalik na sa normal ang buhay nating lahat,” she told us. “Prayers lang po ang pinakamabisang sandata natin para malabanan ang krisis na ito.”

We then asked the Superstar what her thoughts were about the shocking shutdown of ABS-CBN. She said she also wanted to show her “pakikiisa” with its 11,000 employees because she had so many memorable memories with the Kapamilya Network long before her big switch as a Kapuso.

“Matagal rin naman po kasi akong nagkaroon ng show sa ABS,” she explained. “Like ‘yong teleseryeng ‘Bituin’ at ‘Star Drama Theater Presents Nora.’ Ilang beses rin po akong nag-guest sa ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya.’ Maski si John (Rendez, her longtime friend), nagkaroon rin ng live show sa kanila, ang ‘Ready, Get Set, Go.’ Kaya nalungkot rin po ako nang mawala ang ABS-CBN sa ere.”

Inquirer Entertainment is reprinting in full the Superstar’s statement about the unexpected turn of events.

Her message: “Bilang nagtrabaho rin sa ABS-CBN ng marami ring taon, mula pa sa radyo hanggang sa telebisyon, nakaramdam ako ng lungkot sa pagsasara nito.

“Nasa GMA 7 man ako ngayon, na hindi ako pinababayaan, ay naisip ko ang mga taong maaapektuhan sa pangyayaring ito. Naniniwala ako na sa panahong ito ay dapat magmalasakitan ang bawat isa, Kapuso man o Kapamilya.

“Alam kong maraming mga empleyado ng kumpanya na mawawalan ng trabaho, at kawawa ang kanilang mga pamilya na umaasa lamang sa network. At sana, hindi ito nangyari sa panahong dumadaan tayo sa krisis dulot ng Covid-19.

“Ako ay lubos na umaasa na malalagpasan ng ABS-CBN ang suliraning ito na dumating sa kanila. Sana ay muling makapagtrabaho ang kanilang mga talent at empleyado, lalo na ‘yung mga maliliit na manggagawa nila.”

When we spoke to avid Noranians, Nestor de Guzman and Andy Bais, about Nora’s “humble beginnings” with ABS-CBN, we quickly realized the huge impact those early years had on the Superstar’s legendary career.

True, at the peak of her popularity, Ate Guy’s weekly musical variety show “Superstar” reigned supreme on RPN-9 and the Benedictos’ KBS, but much of that illustrious fairy tale-like beginning truly took shape when she sang “Moonlight Becomes You” in “Tawag ng Tanghalan” on ABS-CBN, where she was declared grand champion on May 29, 1967.

Before the network was first shut down by the Marcos regime during martial law in 1972, Ate Guy did many projects with the Kapamilya network, following her triumph as a singing champ.

She shuttled between its TV studio on Roxas Boulevard (later sold to KBS in 1969) and dzXE on Aduana in Intramuros for her regular stints in the radio programs, “Operetang Putol-putol,” with Ben David, Perla Adea and Edgar Mortiz (Vilma Santos’ constant consort at the time), and “Fiesta Extravaganza,” spearheaded by, among others, German Moreno and Tirso Cruz III.

Other than her regular appearances in different networks (“Kami Naman,” with Nova Villa,” the controversial “The Nora-Eddie Show,” with that era’s top balladeer Eddie Peregrina, and much later, the iconic “Superstar”), the singer-actress was regularly seen in ABS-CBN’s “Oras ng Ligaya.”

The company also wanted “Superstar” to make the big jump from the Benedicto-run network, but Ate Guy’s loyalty to her friends prevented that from happening.

In the early ‘90s, ABS-CBN tapped Ate Guy to star in two robust seasons of “Star Drama Theater Presents Nora,” then aired the Superstar’s first concert at Araneta Coliseum “Handog ni Guy” and its belated follow-up “Gold.”

The group even restored some of Nora’s film classics, including “Himala,” “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos,” “Banaue,” “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo,” “Bulaklak sa City Jail,” “Ikaw ay Akin,” “T-Bird at Ako” and the Ishmael Bernal-helmed Christopher de Leon-Charo Santos starrer “Tisoy,” which the Superstar produced in 1977.

Now that’s legacy! Our movie-buff heart went aflutter with the mere mention of those aforementioned titles.

Without the Kapamilya network’s forward-thinking and deeply committed team to spearhead projects and programs like the ones mentioned above, the Philippine entertainment industry will be left with nothing but memories of those good ol’ days—and nothing to show for them.

The Superstar will turn 67 on Thursday next week. Happy birthday, Ate Guy!