Nora Aunor: Superstar National Artist
ON June 10, 2022, Malacañang declared Nora Aunor, fondly called “Ate Guy”, as one of the 8 National Artists of the Philippines for 2022. It is the highest honor conferred to a Filipino who has made outstanding contribution to the development of Philippine arts and culture. This much-coveted award was created under Proclamation 1001 issued by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos on April 27, 1972. Ate Guy was given the honor for her excellent accomplishments in film and broadcast arts upon recommendation of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In cinema and film, the first awardee was Lamberto Avellana. Only a small number have won as a National Artist in this category. The list also include Gerardo de Leon, Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Eddie Romero, Manuel Conde and Fernando Poe, Jr.. National Artists De Leon, Brocka, Bernal, Conde and Poe were given the recognition posthumously. Most of them were prominent directors, except for Poe and Ate Guy who were noted more for their acting.
It’s been a long and tortuous journey for a little dark girl who used to sell boiled peanuts and ice-cold bottled water at the railroad station in her native town in Camarines Sur. Ate Guy, whose real name is Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, was born on May 23, 1953 in Iriga City where Mt. Isarog is located. She started her career as an amateur singer by joining and winning singing competition sin neighboring na ga City. She joined the Darigold Jamboree, then the top amateur singing contest in Bicol, to get the prize money to pay for her elder sister’s tuition fee who was graduating in high school. Wearing a second hand dress that her mother refitted with some frills, Ate Guy who was barely 12 years old belted “You and the Night and the Music” and swayed and swooned the audience. Back home in Iriga, her family who did not own a radio, nervously listened at their neighbor’s house. Ate Guy came home the big winner and pocketed P20, the grand prize that she gave to her sister. Encouraged by her success, Ate Guy participated in another major singing competition, the Liberty Big Show, which was also held in Naga City. Aspiring singers from the region took part, but Ate Guy proved that her earlier win was no fluke. Once more, she emerged the champion. Her maternal aunt, Belen Aunor, suggested to Nora’s mother to bring Ate Guy to Manila to try out in some radio and TV shows and singing contests. Her aunt, who lived in Nichols, Pasay City, acted as her guardian and introduced her as Nora Aunor in every audition or contest Ate Guy took part in. She became an undefeated champion for many weeks on the dari gold Bulilit Show. It was then decided that she would transfer her studies in Nichols Air Base Elementary School near her Mamay Belen’s house while she was pursuing her dream to be a singer. She completed her high school at cent roes col ar university in Parañaque. She then went for the biggest plum, theta wagng tang hal an, which producedthe likes of pepe pi men tel, di om ed es Mat ur an and ce non lag man. ate guy was an undefeated champion for 14 weeks on Tawag before she was crowned as the national champion during the grand finals in 1967. Her winning piece was “Moonlight Becomes You”, a song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and popularized by Bing Crosby and written as a theme song for the movie “Road to Morocco.” There was no stopping Ate Guy after that.
Ate Guy is an accomplished and multi-awarded actress acknowledged as the Superstar of Philippine Cinema during her heyday. Even before Ate Guy was given the National Artist Award, she has been regarded as the People’s National Artist, especially when she was refused the award twice in the past due to some controversies surrounding her personal life. An American magazine and movie critic, The Hollywood Reporter, dubbed her “The Grand Dame of Philippine Cinema” for her splendid performance in the movie “Taklub” and her memorable performance in many other highly acclaimed films. Dr. Jose Perez of Sampaguita Pictures launched Ate Guy’s movie career. She debuted as an actress in the movie “All Over the World” where she mostly did musical numbers. After this, she appeared in many other movies where she had guest or minor roles. She became a regular partner of
another young actor, Tirso Cruz III, and together they played supporting roles in Banda 24, Oh Delilah, Pabandying Bandying and Adriana, which were produced by other film outfits. It was independent director and producer Artemio Marquez who made her a star in the movie D’musical Teenage Idols in 1969, which also featured Tirso Cruz III. It was the box-office movie that year. This was followed by other smash hit movies directed and produced by Marquez under his own outfit, Tower Productions. Ate Guy made countless forgettable movies that all made money at the tills. She became the top-grossing artist of the Philippine cinema. As she got older, she graduated from her teenybopper roles and took on more serious parts. Eventually, she formed her own movie production, the NV Productions, which produced quality films that won critics’ acclaim and numerous awards from practically all movie award-winning bodies locally and abroad. Among her outstanding film credits that won acclaim from critics are Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Banaue, Minsa’y Isang Gamugamo, Ina ka ng Anak Mo, Bona, Flor Contemplacion Story and Thy Womb. Her movie Himala won numerous international awards and was considered as the Best Asia-pacific Movie of all Time. Her film, Bona, directed by Lino Brocka, is the only Filipino film cited as one of “The Best 100 Films in the World by the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, USA in 1997. It’s also the only Philippine-made movie archived at the NY Museum of Modern Art. The Green Globe Film Award adjudged her as one of the 10 Best Asian Actresses of the Decade in 1910, together with Gong Li and Maggie Cheung. She is the winningest actor of all time in terms of acting awards she has received locally and abroad. In 1990, all the prestigious annual award-giving institutions such as FAMAS, Gawad Urian, Star Award for Movies, Film Academy of the Philippines and the Young Critics Circle conferred on Ate Guy the Best Actress Award for her movie Andrea and Paano Ba Ang Maging Isang Ina?. She also won her 5th FAMAS Best Actress trophy, which elevated Ate Guy to the Hall of Fame. She had the distinction of being directed by the best helmsman in the movie industry who all won the National Artist Award in cinema and film—lamberto Avellana, Gerardo de Leon, Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.
In her prime, Ate Guy was the Superstar of the Philippine movies, the concert queen and the box office champion. She has won practically all awards conceived to recognize a thespian.
She was awarded several Best Actress Awards and nominations from many countries of the world such as Hong Kong, Russia, Asia Pacific Awards Council, Egypt and others. In her acceptance speech at the 2013 Gawad Urian Best Actress Award where she received her 17th nomination and her 7th win for the movie, “Thy Womb”, Ate Guy said: “It’s great to win abroad but nothing beats being recognized by your countrymen.”
Finally, Ate Guy was honored as a National Artist by her own country. The long wait is over, and let’s rejoice that politics has not suppressed talent and art.