Remembering Nora Aunor: actress, ‘rebel’ and the Philippines’ ‘Superstar’
Filipino screenwriter Ricardo Lee pays tribute to Aunor, who spent her career fighting stereotypes and giving voice to the marginalised
To generations of Filipinos, Nora Aunor was not just a film star – she was the embodiment of their hopes, hardships and quiet resilience.
“She was full of contradictions, simple yet complicated,” said screenwriter and long-time collaborator Ricardo Lee, who delivered one of the most poignant tributes following Aunor’s death on April 16 at age 71.
Aunor was laid to rest on Tuesday with full state honours at the Heroes Cemetery in Manila. But as Lee stressed in his eulogy, it was not the pomp and circumstance of her funeral that defined her – it was her bond with the people she portrayed, especially the marginalised.
“Hundreds of DH were there,” Lee recalled. “Guy” – the nickname her fans lovingly used – embraced nearly each one and asked about their problems, as if this was the most normal thing for superstars to do.