EARLY IN 2001, NORA WAS FEELING A LITTLE BEAT UP.
Amidst ugly recriminations, she had broken free of former President Joseph Estrada and joined the rising clamor for Erap to step down.
Nora insisted that she had turned her back on an old friend for patriotic reasons. Still, the tabloids had a field day with Nora’s about-face. They said she had turned her back on an old friend not for the right reasons, but out of spite.
One version said she was offended by Millennium Films, Erap’s production outfit, which, with the dwindling of her drawing power at the box office, was pricing her services too cheaply, leaving many of her planned projects falling by the wayside.
Other gossips whispered that, when Erap announced he was planning to field her as the gubernatorial candidate for Camarines Sur, his Bicol partymates recoiled at the prospect of a spendthrift Nora emptying the provincial coffers. These gossips contended that Nora was slighted by the vote of no confidence. But it didn’t help Nora’s cause that she ran for the post anyway—and lost.
NORA AUNOR AND THE ABS-CBN CONTROVERSY
In 1992, Nora appeared in Star Drama Theater Presents Nora for ABS-CBN, a weekly TV anthology that was to run for roughly three months. Nora’s exposure was cut short. She laments that the experience left her feeling very hurt. “Grabe ginawa sa akin no’ng araw,” mumbles Nora, without elaborating. She then goes on to say that years later the same hurtful experience happened again.
In 2002, she was signed on to do Bituin, a primetime soap opera.
“So, di, kinontrata nila uli ako. Nauna pa ako, e, sa set, wala silang problema sa akin. No’ng natapos na ’yong ilang weeks...[biglang wala na]. Ngayon, mabuti na lang do’n sa kontrata, nakalagay na kapag sila nagkamali, obligado silang bayaran pa rin ako kung ano ’yong dapat ibayad nila sa akin. One hundred percent no’ng dapat total na ibabayad sa akin pag hindi ako ang may kamalian, babayaran ako.
“Nanalo lang si Lorna [Tolentino] ng best actress award, nag-focus na kay Lorna, iniwanan talaga ako sa ere. Hindi na ako nag-take, hindi ako pina-taping. E, paalis ako no’n. Sabi ko, ‘Sinabi ko sa inyong paalis ako.’ Para sa Power of 2 namin ni Kuh ’yon. ‘Hindi ko man matapos ’yan, hindi ko na kasalanan.’ Hindi natapos ’yong isang [project] ko do’n.”
(Lorna Tolentino won the Star Awards for TV best actress for her lead role in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay.)
What is clear in Nora’s tone is that she felt she had been disrespected.
“Ayoko talaga sa kanila,” she declares. “Ayoko sa mga namamahala doon, ang laki ng mga ipinagbago. Si Charo...”—referring to current ABS-CBN president Charo Santos-Concio, Nora makes a motion to lift her chin, then flicks her hand repeatedly under it—“...yumabang. Samantalang no’ng nag-umpisa siya… Sa amin nag-umpisa ’yan, e. Kinuha naming kapareha ni Boyet ’yan, e, sa pelikulang Tisoy!”
Tisoy! is the 1977 adaptation of the Nonoy Marcelo comic strip, directed by Ishmael Bernal and produced by Nora’s own NV Productions. Nora soft-pedals to say that the hurt has dulled by now.
“Actually, wala na ’yon. Kaya lang, hindi ko lang kaya ’yong palakad nila, e. ’Yon lang. Maaaring wala na akong sama ng loob kay Charo, wala akong sama ng loob kay Malou”—this time referring to Malou Santos, at the time ABS-CBN head of drama programs and sister of Charo—“pero ayoko na rin sa Dos.”
In low tones, she adds, “Ayokong lumabas ito hanggat maaari, ayoko. Pero ayoko na rin sa kanila, baka mamaya konting gano’n [misunderstanding] lang [nababalita na]...
"Sila kasi nagbabalita no’n, e. Kahit di ko ginagawa, binibigyan nila ng [kuwento]. Maka-release lang ng article sa akin na hindi maganda—pero sa kanila ako nagtratrabaho no’n.”
When YES! clarifies if this is on the record, Nora gives a small nod and says, “Totoo naman, e.”
She then goes on to compare her experience with the Kapamilya and the Kapatid networks: “[Iyong masamang balita], nanggagaling pa sa kanila [ABS-CBN]. Proteksiyon lang. Wala silang proteksiyon, walang proteksiyon. Ngayon ko nga nakita, ang [TV]5, ibang-iba. ’Yong alaga, sobra, grabe talaga. Ngayon ko lang naranasan ’yong [ganitong alaga].”
YES! ASKS THE KAPAMILYA NETWORK TO RESPOND TO THIS.
Ms. Linggit Tan, ABS-CBN TV Entertainment head, speaks for the network:
“Number one: Ang context ng Nora-ABS-CBN contract is that it was for a weekly anthology called Star Drama Theater Presents. Ang concept nito ay the show will feature one star for one season, with a season running for thirteen weeks. But Nora’s season had to be cut short because of her unprofessional working habits. It had to be shortened, and Lorna Tolentino was the replacement. Pero this had nothing to do with Lorna winning an award!
“Number two: ABS [CBN] gave Nora Bituin, a soap opera starring her and Cherie Gil. It would also launch Desiree del Valle and Carol Banawa. But for a soap to work, it has to be consistent in terms of quality, acting, production timetable... But the working habits of Nora, naulit-ulit. Sometime during this period nga, Nora had a change of management. Norie Sayo took over and said that she would professionalize things. But nothing happened, parang walang magawa si Norie.
“ABS cut the series. The delays and problems were costing the company. But despite preterminating the series, she was paid the full amount. Para wala na lang problema, wala nang utang sa kanya. We pay her what’s due her. We would still save more money, mas makakamura pa rin ang ABS. We cut our losses.
“Number three: Prior to her much-talked about return to the Philippines, certain quarters representing her were talking to ABS. They came to us! In all fairness to the network, we never entertained any of those offers. It’s to our detriment naman to say hindi siya interesado sa amin. We didn’t respond to those feelers. It’s not her option to choose us... But we wish her well.”
NORA AUNOR AND PROBLEMS WITH TALENT FEES
At the end of her U.S. tour with Kuh Ledesma in 2004, Nora had really planned to stay behind and see what life in the U.S. had to offer. But things did not go according to plan.
Nora recalls that their final show in Florida did not push through because of a storm. She says Kuh rescheduled and they returned to the venue on the new date, but still they were not able to perform. As far as Nora was concerned, she expected to be paid because the contract stipulated that they would be paid for each show, regardless of cancellations due to reasons beyond their control.
But the producer did not see it that way. Nora did not receive her final payment—the money she was counting on to start her new life in the States.
“Nagmamakaawa talaga ako noon. Pumunta pa ako noon sa airport sa Los Angeles. Sabi ko, ‘Sige na naman, ibigay n’yo na sa akin ang pinaghirapan ko.’ Hindi talaga ’binigay.”
It was late by then, all her companions had left the U.S. on their flights, and Nora had no place to stay for the night. In tears and with no money to tide her over, Nora hit upon the idea of calling up an old friend, the producer of another show she had done in the States, Julie Hernandez, who resided in Seattle.
Julie was surprised at the call, to say the least, and told Nora that it was too late to find any flights leaving Los Angeles for Seattle. She told Nora to wait until she could buy her a ticket. Then she had Nora fly out to Seattle to stay with her.
In Seattle, Nora took small gigs to tide her over financially. Many months passed, and she felt that she was overstaying her welcome, especially since Julie had kids who would visit and stay with Julie, too.
By then, John Rendez had come to join her, and so the two old friends flew back to L.A. with no prospects and very little money.
In L.A., Nora and John stayed in cheap motels. She would often call friends and fans, asking for loans. “’Yon ’yong sinasabi nilang nanghihiram ako. Dahil nga siyempre, kailangang maka-survive ka, e.”
Jojo Devera, a film critic-blogger who works for a London-based consulting firm and now lives in Arizona, was one of those fans. “I can honestly say na isa ako sa napaglambingan niya.” But Jojo says he was happy to help. “I’ve always said na kung anuman ang naitulong ko sa kanya ay hindi sapat sa labis na kaligayahang naibigay niya sa akin. Minsan, nasabi kong kulang pa ’yon, dahil Ate Guy is responsible for the person I am today.”
Nora and John Rendez later moved to San Francisco, still staying in motels because they could not even afford to rent a place. All in all, Nora estimates that they spent seven months living in motels.
During this time, she says, she experienced hauling suitcases full of their dirty clothes to laundromats. Sometimes, she wouldn’t even have enough coins to operate the machines. “Mabuti na lang may Pinoy rin na naglalaba, binibigyan ako ng kulang.”
NORA ARRESTED at the La airport
On March 30, 2025, Nora made headlines yet again when she was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
In her possession were eight grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, known locally by its street name shabu. Authorities also got a glass pipe wrapped in a T-shirt.
To this day, Nora maintains her innocence. She says she was coming from San Francisco, selling tickets to a series of concerts, and she was in L.A. because a group of fans had ordered some tickets for her performance there. She says she was in a hurry, and the plan was that the fans would meet her at the airport to get the tickets from her.
Instead, a man who looked Latino met her, and said that the people who were supposed to meet her had sent him instead.
Nora says she did not go with the man, but instead proceeded to book the last flight back to San Francisco. She says she did not check in her bag, which would give the lie to the idea that she would intentionally pack illegal substances: “Kung mayroon akong dala noon, bakit pa ako mag-aano, hindi ba—dadalhin ko? Bibitbitin ko? E, delikado ’yon.” She believes that the Latino stranger slipped the drugs and pipe into her carry-on bag.
After her arrest, Nora retained the services of the law offices of Edelberg & Espina, based in Encino, California, and was released on a $10,000 bail—about half a million pesos at the time.
At the preliminary hearing on May 26, 2005, Nora entered a not-guilty plea. In December that same year, she entered a drug-rehabilitation program that would not require an admission of guilt from her. However, this program did not suit her needs because it did not allow her to travel for concerts and other commitments.
In March of 2006, Nora changed her plea to guilty. The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a Deferred Entry of Judgment (DEJ), consequently delaying the sentencing by 18 months, during which time Nora would enter another rehabilitation program with periodic mandatory drug testing.
On October 2, 2007, after religiously adhering to the program and testing negative for drugs, Nora was cleared by L.A. Superior Court Judge James R. Dabney of the drug possession case slapped against her. She was required by the court, however, to pay a $250 fine.
Court transcripts obtained by YES! reveal that the judge told Nora:
“Your plea of guilty is withdrawn. The case is dismissed because of the successful completion of your deferred entry of judgment. What that means, it’s as if you’ve never been arrested for this offense…
“So if you’re ever asked if you’ve ever been arrested or convicted of a crime, you can say no, with one exception, and that is if you ever apply to be a peace officer. Then you would have to reveal the arrest and conviction, you’d have to respond—let them know, reveal it. And the Department of Justice will reveal it to any agency for which you apply. Otherwise, this is as if it had never happened.”
The judge’s words seemed to have given the Superstar a new lease on life.
WHat drove ate guy out of THE PHILIPPINES
When Nora moved to Las Vegas and was able to live more comfortably, staying in a small house, her lifestyle remained spartan.
Albert Sunga paid her a visit there, and he says Nora really did her own laundry. “Nakikita ko na siya ’yong nagtutupi ng damit niya. Siya ’yong ‘Ay! Wala na tayong sabon, kulang ang pambili ng sabon!’ So maghahanap kami ng mga coins para pambili ng sabon.”
Albert says Nora had developed a habit of dropping whatever was in her pockets into a piggy bank. When Nora moved into the house in Las Vegas, she had to buy new furniture—basics like a dining table and a bed—and her money had run out again. Though they had food, they didn’t have money to buy bottled water.
Albert says that Nora hit upon an idea. “Ay, alkansiya ko buksan natin!” Albert recalls what happened next: “Nagpunta kami sa kuwarto niya, binasag namin. Ang laman niya siguro, almost 700 dollars din!”
Through it all, Nora tells YES!, she was resolved not to give in to self-pity or despair: “Hindi ako naaawa sa sarili ko, kasi sanay na naman akong… Simula naman ng bata, ganyan na ang buhay ko, e, sa hirap. At saka may karamay na ako noon, si John.”
If life was so hard over there, she could have come back. Why didn’t she?
“Ayoko dito. Di bale muna akong nandoon kesa bumalik dito. Magulo. No’ng time na ’yon, magulo rito noon, e.”
In 2004, the year she left the Philippines, she felt overwrought and heavy. She had gone up against Erap and was being called “traydor” by segments of the entertainment industry; she had joined the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo bandwagon, but talk was that she was not getting any of the things she had been promised; her career was in the doldrums, with her most recent film, Naglalayag, doing poorly at the box office, and her ABS-CBN series cut short; she was getting a beating in the tabloids; and she had no personal ties—but for the children she did not always know how to love—to keep her here.
Nora Aunor and Hilda Koronel's films Nakaw na Pag-ibig, Beloved, and Tisoy.
THE ATTRACTION OF LIVING IN AMERICA
But the real attraction of living in the States, says Nora, wasn’t so much the relative peace, but the prospect of being able to do the things she wanted.
“Gusto kong maglaba nang walang nakikialam, kahit hila-hila ko ’yong isang maleta na puro maruruming damit, walang pakialam do’n. Nagbu-bus ako, wala ring pakialam. Minsan may mga Pilipino diyan. ‘Hi, kamusta po kayo?’ ‘O, ba’t ka nagbu-bus?’ Sabi ko, ‘Masama ho ba? Nagi-enjoy po ako.’ ’Tapos, tawa naman sila nang tawa.”
Nora is a natural gadabout, but living in the States turned her into a homebody, mainly because she had very little money to go out. She would go to the grocery store twice a month, or John would do that if he was staying with her. She would cook.
They couldn’t even afford to subscribe to The Filipino Channel or other cable providers, so her main diversion was remixing the songs she had performed live and recorded.
Nora had always had an affinity for anything technical.
“Naaalala mo ’yong mga ginawa kong songs sa Superstar noong araw?” Nora asks Anna Pingol. “Ni-remix ko!”
Nora currently keeps an apartment in Santa Monica in Los Angeles. Now that she has her green card, her life in America seems relatively settled. But when she returns to the States, she intends to change address again.
This time she will buy a house in “Vegas.” When we suggest that the gambling rumors will burst wide open again once she gets a Las Vegas address, she turns sheepish. “Hindi naman, mura lang kasi ang bahay do’n,” she says, smiling.
Of course, because she is Nora Aunor, there has to be a little drama even before she moves house: just recently, her car was stolen out in the street in front of her Santa Monica apartment. “Lumabas si John. ‘Nasaan ang ano?’ Galit na galit!”
Not everything was a downer. From time to time, Nora would accept small gigs in the States.
With candor, she says, “May mga kumukuha rin naman na konti. Hindi na masyado.”
In 2006, her friend Suzette Ranillo, daughter of actress Gloria Sevilla and sister of former matinee idol Mat Ranillo III, directed Nora in a full-length feature film called Care Home. But problems with the co-producers, according to Suzette, scuttled the marketing of the film, and for a time, there was a gap between her and Nora.
But things have been patched up since then. As Suzette puts it, “Madali siyang mapaniwala ng ibang tao, even to the extent na mas dapat paniwalaan niya ’yong mga taong mas kilala na niya. Pero nari-realize din naman niya. ‘Ay, impulsive yata ako do’n.’ Or ‘Mali yata ako, pinakinggan ko.’ She just has to learn.”
the story OF the loss of NORA'S VOICE, IN HER OWN WORDS
One big lesson came in February 2010, when Nora flew to Japan to endorse the Shinagawa Cosmetic Surgery Clinic. The endorsement was proposed to her by veteran showbiz reporter Aster Amoyo via German “Kuya Germs” Moreno, the showbiz impresario who is one of Nora’s most trusted friends, and who had stayed in constant communication with Nora throughout her stay in the U.S.
Nora says now that she was originally not keen on the idea.
“Ayokong tanggapin… Ang ginawa ni Aster, pumunta kay Kuya Germs, nakiusap. So nakiusap sa akin si Kuya Germs, akala niya okey naman. Sabi niya, tanggapin mo na, kasi buti na ’yon, kumikita ka pa rin. So tinanggap ko.”
Nora makes it clear that German Moreno thought she was only going to Japan to endorse the clinic, not to undergo a facelift.
When reports of Nora’s planned cosmetic surgery reached the local entertainment press, articles about Nora wanting to look younger for a comeback immediately sprang up. But the reality turned out to be traumatic: “Hindi ko akalaing ganoon ang mangyayari sa akin sa Japan!”
According to Nora, even though there were plans for John to go with her to Japan, Aster made sure that Nora would be unaccompanied. She says that Ian flew out from the Philippines to meet her, but Aster booked Ian on gigs that took the young man to far-flung venues and put him on a punishing schedule that gave mother and son very little time to talk, much less find time to even see each other.
Worried that Nora had no companions in Japan, and suspicious of the arrangement, John used his own money to follow her there. But Nora says Aster didn’t even allow John to check in at the same hotel they were billeted in. He had to settle for accommodations that required him to travel some distance by public transport to get to Nora.
Nora says she also had questions about having to undergo a full-on facelift, but the people around her gave assurances of the procedure’s safety. Plus, it was free of charge. When asked if any of the pre-operational procedures were performed, such as general checkups to determine if she had allergies to the medications and such, Nora says no.
Something went terribly wrong.
Complications arose during the procedure, and an emergency tracheotomy had to be performed on the patient. Nora says Aster told her that phlegm had accumulated in her lungs, and the doctors had to go in and siphon it out. Nora was unconscious for three days.
“Siguro nasobrahan ng anesthesia nila, kaya paggising ko, sumisigaw, wala ’kong nakikitang mga nagbabantay sa akin sa clinic,” says Nora of those frightening first moments of regaining consciousness. By her reckoning, no one came to her for 20 or so minutes, until she made enough noise to indicate that she was awake. One of the Japanese staffers—a woman, as Nora recalls—was actually crying over her predicament.
Worse, the tracheotomy destroyed Nora’s vocal cords. “Dumikit ’yong balat sa buto,” says Nora, pointing to a circular scar at the bottom of her throat. “Hindi ako makakanta.” She also found it difficult to breathe and swallow.
The unkindest cut, she says gravely, is that while she was in the hospital Aster left her and rushed home to the Philippines, saying she had matters to take care of with her business here. Nora looks back on the two weeks it took for her to recover as one of the most harrowing times she had ever lived through in her fifty-eight years.
Nora says John was incensed at what happened to her. “Nakunan nga ni John, e—’yong nagsasalita ako, kausap ko sa telepono si Aster, nakunan niya. Galit na galit siya. Kung hindi siya sumunod, wala. Kasi ’yong anak ko [Ian], hindi ko rin naman nakasama hanggang umuwi.”
When Nora and John returned to the States, it was obvious that her once-magical singing prowess was gone.
Even during the YES! interview, Nora’s voice is hoarse, and after just a half-hour of talking, she is exhausted. (Yet she gives us more than two hours of her time, plus another hour during the pictorial.)
Nora'S ISSUE WITH the SHOWBIZ PRESS
The problem, when she got back to North America, was that she had singing commitments to fulfill. In March 2010, she had a concert in Vancouver, Canada. But her predicament made performing impossible.
Kuya Germs and character actor Juan Rodrigo, who once upon a time was signed up as one of Nora’s talents in her aborted Base Entertainment effort, pitched in to perform. Nora had to settle for talking to the audience and posing for photographs.
Still, fans who shelled out 35 dollars a ticket were none too pleased. Reports about the aborted Vancouver concert cropped up in the tabloid press. A ticket holder named Ariel De Vega sent an email to TV host-columnist Lolit Solis and accused Nora of skipping rehearsals and instead playing in the casino with John.
Lolit published the letter in her “Take It! Take It!” column for the tabloid Pilipino Star Ngayon. It took good friend German Moreno, also writing for Pilipino Star Ngayon, in his “That’s Entertainment” column, to notify the public about the hole in Nora’s throat.
The loss to her livelihood prompted Nora to file a court case against the Shinagawa clinic. Nora says Kuya Germs tried to dissuade her, because getting the courts involved would signify burning her bridges with Aster Amoyo.
But Nora would not be swayed. “Sabi ko, ‘Hindi puwede, Kuya Germs. Naghirap akong ganoon, hindi ’yong hirap lang, pero hirap sa pagsasalita… Hindi ko alam kung ano’ng gagawin ko… Kailangang magtrabaho, di ba?’”
Nora first hired a lawyer from Canada, but when she found that lawyer’s services unsatisfactory, she switched to two lawyers from Japan. She says Shinagawa paid out US$250,000 as payment for damages. But her lawyers thought that she should get more if the damage to her vocal cords turns out to be permanent, so they filed charges again.
As for Aster, Nora says the reporter got angry with her and has stopped talking to her completely. Lolit Solis mentioned in her column in Pilipino Star Ngayon that Aster had asked members of the entertainment press to stop talking about Nora’s case.
Nora is ready to fight for her rights, even throwing a few choice words Aster’s way: “Bayad niya sa [endorsement], 20 thousand dollars lang… kapalit buhay ko?”
On August 24, 2011, Anna Pingol called up Aster Amoyo to get her side. Anna made it clear that YES! had obtained an interview with Nora, and that Nora had spoken at length about the Japan experience. Anna said YES! is open to Aster’s version of the story.
But Aster refused to speak, saying to Anna, “Anak, pasensiya na. ’Wag na lang muna. Marami na rin gustong mag-interview sa akin, but I refused them all. Wala akong sasabihin. Saka na lang.”
RETURNING TO THE PHILIPPINES in august 2011
While in the States, Nora says she kept getting feelers from networks here. They wanted her to resume her career and work for them. But she would always shrug off these feelers: “Basta puro pasabi, hindi ako naniniwala.”
Two years ago, when the Manny V. Pangilinan group was taking steps to revive the Associated Broadcasting Corporation, TV5 president and chief executive officer Ray C. Espinosa mentioned to Perci Intalan, first vice-president for entertainment, that the network should try to get Nora.
Attorney Espinosa recognized Nora’s iconic status and her rise as a force in Philippine pop culture. But Espinosa realized that the reason the Superstar had not returned was because the networks had been making loud noise signifying nothing.
“Sabi nga ni Nora, marami talagang paramdam sa kanya, iba-ibang network. Hindi niya malaman kung ano ’yong totoo sa hindi totoo. So, I guess she was sort of saying, she was managing her expectations also. She wants to, but, you know, I mean, to jump on just anything and everything…”
Late last year, Suzette Ranillo mentioned to Nora a project that Laguna Governor ER Ejercito (who’s also an actor and goes by the screen name Jeorge Estregan) had been nurturing for a long time: a biopic of the first President of the Philippine Republic, General Emilio Aguinaldo. She floated the idea of Nora taking on a role in the film, but since nothing concrete had been offered, Nora shrugged it off like all the other feelers that had come her way over the eight years she was away.
Early this year, Suzette returned home. This time, ER Ejercito sat Suzette down and talked to her in detail about casting for his project, which had the working title of El Presidente. He wanted Nora to play Maria Agoncillo, Aguinaldo’s second wife. Suzette returned to Los Angeles and told Nora about the news. Even better, the governor would shoulder the expense of bringing Nora home to the Philippines.
Espinosa, meanwhile, had been keeping tabs on the progress of Perci Intalan’s pursuit of Nora. After efforts that Espinosa calls “relentless,” Intalan finally contacted Suzette around June. In the end, Suzette says the negotiations with TV5 took “less than two months.”
German Moreno, acting as Nora’s de facto manager, took over the nitty-gritty of the negotiations: how much the Superstar would be paid, where she would stay, how she would get from her home to tapings and back.
Espinosa is reticent about revealing the specifics of the contract, but will say this: “Obviously, we have production budgets that we consider. And we want to be able to keep our costs very reasonable. Not naman so low as to produce very cheap shows. But at the same time, you have to recognize the value of the talent.”
Pressed further, Espinosa adds that Nora’s package involves “a nice number, round number.”
Nora’s contract also includes the option to do movies. Reportedly, aside from shooting El Presidente, Nora is committed to topbill the seventh installment of the Mano Po series, Hototay, which will be a co-production of Regal Films, TV5, and real-estate developer SM Development Corportation.
But anything that Nora touches seems to be touched with drama. Hototay nearly became an issue, but for Espinosa’s expansive view of showbiz negotiations. “I think Perci was just raising the issue of the process. Kasi, parang, how was it that a movie with Regal was announced when we were supposed to have the first option to do her first movie? So it’s just really a misunderstanding about the process. But everything has been settled.”
Then there was the matter of Nora’s original schedule to return to the country on July 21, which was postponed, and quickly set off a bet among entertainment writers on whether Nora was even going to return.
In a one-on-one interview with YES! after the EDSA Shangri-La press conference of August 2, Nora explained: “Uuwi na dapat ako para dalawin si Buboy. Pero sabi ni Suzette, huwag daw muna ako umuwi dahil may negosasyon with TV5. Mas mabuti nga ang nangyaring naghintay ako. Mas naayos ’yong mga gusto kong mangyari.””
On August 1, John Rendez and veteran entertainment writer Cora Pastrana brought Nora to the Tom Bradley International Airport in Los Angeles, where she boarded Philippine Airlines Flight 103 with Suzette Ranillo. The plane would take her to Manila.
And into the arms of her screaming, crying, ever-faithful fans.
ATE GUY'S SECOND CHANCE at a career
Nora seems determined not to squander this new chance given to her. Asked by entertainment guru Ricky Lo if she is the “new” Nora Aunor, she replied, “’Yon ang sabi ni Kuya Germs. At patutunayan kong totoo ang sinabi niya.”
Nora says that she is now keeping a tighter rein on her finances with the help of German Moreno. She says he’s keeping a hawk’s eye on her bank account, and she actually has to seek his permission to withdraw money. When she recently told him she needed to make a bank withdrawal, he replied: “Last na ’yan, tama na, tama na.”
More than being organized with her money, Nora now seeks to obliterate the image of her being unprofessional, drinking too much, engaging in erratic behavior. At the YES! cover shoot, Nora profusely apologizes for being 30 minutes late. But her personal manager, Boy Palma, who is in charge of her schedules, confesses that it was her retinue—not Nora herself—that was delayed in returning from a Sa Ngalan ng Ina taping in Batangas.
The stigma attached to Nora’s past sins is difficult to erase. When a picture of Nora from the YES! shoot is tweeted by photographer Mark Nicdao and then subsequently posted on Facebook, a commenter writes under the photograph: “grand hopes for this one. eek. pull it together ate guy!!!”
It’s a safe bet that whatever Nora does, people will be watching and that all kinds of opinions are sure to follow. Albert Sunga admits that, even when she was in the States, his idol (who happens to be facile with high-tech gadgets) would be affected by some of the negative write-ups about her in the local press.
He says he would counsel her thus: “Ate Guy, ganito na lang ’yan. Hindi lahat ng artista na nawawala nang ganito katagal pinag-uusapan pa, whether maganda o hindi. Ang importante, ma-realize natin na hindi ka pa rin nawawala sa kamalayan ng mga Pilipino.”
Ricky Lee feels the same way. “Hindi siguro maiiwasan sa posisyon niya ’yong binubugbog,” he says. “’Yong nakalantad na punyal na nakatarak na sinabi niya before, ’yon pa rin. Ang part ng mystery ni Guy, sobra siyang minamahal ng tao, pero sobra din siyang sinisiraan.
“Di ba may ganoon, never sa kanya nawala ’yong ganoong kombinasyon ng humahanga at nanlalait mula pa noong simula? And I think natanggap na niya na part ng—huwag nating tawaging kalbaryo—but part ng kanyang buhay ’yon, e.”
When Nora looks back on her life now, even she cannot deny its innate contradictions. “Mahirap na parang seesaw nga, e. Seesaw na mahirap pero masaya. Nag-enjoy naman ako.”
She puffs on her cigarette, then says, her voice low, rich, and almost gruff: “Kung iisipin mong maigi, ang sarap mabuhay."
This article, the concluding piece of a three-part series on Nora Aunor, was initially featured in YES! Magazine's October 2011 issue and has been republished by Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon for PEP.ph in April 2025. The content reflects the information and context available at the time of its original publication.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographer: Mark Nicdao
Photo Shoot Creative Direction: Vince Uy
Additional Photo Shoot Art Direction: Gabriel Villegas
Shoot Producers: Anna Pingol & Candice Lim-Venturanza
Writer: Andrew Paredes
Additional Text: Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon
Interviews: Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon & Anna Pingol
YES! Editor In Chief: Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon
YES! Executive Editor: Jose F. Lacaba
Makeup: Juan Sarte
Hair: Raymond Santiago
Fashion Stylist: Liz Uy
Assistant Fashion Stylist: Reese Rubin & Pete Rich
Production Designer: Angelo Dindo Panganlangan
Shoot Assistant: Arvee Javier
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