John Rendez says he didn’t feel welcome at Nora Aunor’s burial

Nora Aunor and John Rendez. Image: Instagram/@janinegutierrez, YouTube/Julius Babao UNPLUGGED

John Rendez opened up about how he has been dealing with the death of his “soulmate,” Nora Aunor, recalling the supposed unwelcoming atmosphere he felt during the Superstar’s burial.

“I’m moving on. I’m trying to stay positive. Dealing with the loss of someone you love is never easy,” the singer-rapper said in an interview with broadcaster Julius Babao on Thursday, May 22.

“But after the grief, there comes a kind of a liberating feeling when you find something to hold on to like the Lord,” Rendez continued. “This has brought me closer to God.”

Rendez disclosed that he was with Aunor during her final moments, lamenting how her death came so sudden.

“Mali kami, hindi dapat siya nagpa-[angioplasty] e… Kung kailan na-opera, do’n pa siya kinuha,” he remarked. (We were wrong. She should not have undergone angioplasty. Even when she underwent surgery, she still died.)

“You don’t know what God has planned. It’s just God’s will,” he added.

During the interview, Rendez was also asked about his presence at the burial of Aunor.

“Pumunta ako do’n. Kaso lang, parang ano e, parang feeling ko hindi ako welcome,” he said. (I went there but it felt like I was not welcome.)

He expounded, “I don’t know. When you walk into a room and people are looking at you like, ‘What’s he doing here?’ What do you think I’m doing here? I didn’t feel like I was welcome there so I just stood outside with the fans.”

Rendez further said that he has always been on the sidelines, noting, “Hindi naman ako mapapel. Hinahayaan ko lang sila… Nasaktan din ako pero okay lang ‘yan. Naiintindihan ko sila.”

(I am not seeking attention. I just let them. I was hurt but it was okay. I understand them.)

Not a selfish love

After Aunor’s demise, Rendez said he has been focusing on his mission to care for his family, whom the Superstar also loved.

“When you love someone, that love should also extend to their family. If you can’t do that, that means you only love yourself,” he said. “I love her, I love her family and she also loved mine. It’s not a selfish love.”

Then asked what he calls his relationship with Aunor that spanned 34 years, Rendez answered, “Friendship and mutual respect. The people, they adore her. I [also] adore her.”

At the latter part of the vlog, Babao further asked the singer, “Why do you consider her your soulmate?”

“Because maybe in another life, it was reversed—I was older and she was younger. It’s like we knew each other already,” Rendez responded. “After 34 years, what kind of relationship do you think would develop? It’s not something you can fake for 34 years.”

Rendez also expressed his love for Aunor’s children, saying they are “family.”

“In my heart, I’ll always have love and compassion for them. I have never said nothing bad about them, and I never will because I have respect for the family,” he said.

Aunor died last April 16 due to acute respiratory failure.  /ra