Confessions of a solid Noranian

Oh my, Ate Guy!

I am an avid fan of Nora Aunor. As a young girl in the 1970s living in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, I was so crazy over her that I would nick coins from my Papa’s alkansya so that I could buy magazines with her on the cover and which carried articles about her. I have long since paid for my sins, and Papa who is now in heaven has forgiven me. But to this day, my siblings would tease me about my youthful folly.

As a solid “Noranian,” I would lovingly cut out Nora’s pictures from the pages of the countless entertainment magazines I had bought, then I’d paste them onto bond papers to produce several photo albums dedicated to her. The albums even had the “autograph” of Nora courtesy of my fellow Noranian friend, Dolores. She was so good at copying Nora’s signature, you would not think it was forged. Those photo albums that I painstakingly put together have long been eaten by termites, but my great love for Nora remains.

I would save my meager school allowance so I could watch Nora’s movies. I watched all her films during the height of her career which spanned decades. I was so enamored with Filipino cinema because of my obsession with Nora, resulting in my proficiency in speaking what was then still called Tagalog. I became quite good at it that I always got an A in my Filipino classes where I managed to turn every class project into a drama presentation with my groupmates. I wanted to be an actress as excellent as Nora.

Of her love teams, my most favorite was Tirso “Pip” Cruz III. I closely followed their love story, which included “Maria Leonora Teresa (MLT),” a doll, which Pip gifted to Ate Guy. I believed every story spun by showbiz writers on Guy and Pip and MLT. I followed their love story until they broke up. And when Christopher de Leon came into Nora’s life, my loyalty shifted to him as her new on-screen partner. It was fortunate that Christopher de Leon was (and still is) such a good actor, so I did not feel guilty about redirecting my loyalty from Pip to him. After all these years, I am still a big fan of Nora.

Through my decades-long professional stint at the University of the Philippines department of speech communication and theater arts, I met more of Nora’s biggest fans such as Dr. Sergio Gerry Santos Cao (former chancellor of UP Diliman; now president of Manila Tytana Colleges), Dr. Patrick Flores (renowned curator, art critic, and scholar who wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on Nora), the late professor Nieves Epistola (a well-respected English professor on campus), professor Bienvendio Lumbera (poet, librettist, scholar, and also a National Artist for Literature) and many others. We were all bound by the same deep admiration for Ate Guy.

And then it happened—I finally met the Superstar herself up close and personal when she received an award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Gawad Sining 2015, before she was declared as a National Artist. I attended the awarding ceremony upon the invitation of the late theater director and National Artist in Theater, Tony Mabesa. Actress Janine Gutierrez accompanied her grandmother to this occasion. Despite her petite frame, Nora was mesmerizing in person that one couldn’t help but get drawn to her.

The awarding ceremony at the CCP was followed by a reception. That’s when I really got to approach my idol. I went to congratulate and tell her that I was a fan. She responded with that characteristic humility and diffidence, “Salamat po, salamat po.” As I was leaving the CCP that night, I had another close(r) encounter with Nora at the elevator. She was being escorted by Ricky Lee. As we reached the ground floor, I offered to help her down the steps of the CCP exit and held her hand. So, there we were—Ricky Lee on one side and me on the other, with the Superstar herself between us. She again said “Salamat po” as we parted.

Nora has departed from the world of the living still quite young at 71. She will be missed by her millions of fans who even today are fiercely loyal to her. Nora Aunor will always remain in our hearts.

Rest in peace now, Ate Guy. No more suffering. You are and will forever be our one and only Superstar. There is only one Nora Aunor.

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Belen Divinagracia Calingacion, is 66 years old and a retired professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). She was the former chair of the department of speech communication and theater arts of the UPD. She is retired but not tired and has returned to her province in Negros Oriental and her hometown Dumaguete City. She loves theater and movies and has been a diehard Noranian since she was 14 years old. At 66, she is still a big fan.