SUPERSTAR AND NATIONAL Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Nora Aunor is immortal.
No, she’s not a god.
She’s as human as everyone on the planet.
Immortality, though, lies in her artistry.
An artist never dies.
Only his or her body decays.
It doesn’t fade away, either.
His or her soul remains and lingers in our memory and our every act forever.
It is with us every moment, high and low, happy and sad, hope and despair, right and wrong and other oppositions.
Just look at the commemoration on her first death anniversary on April 16.
She is still celebrated after she is physically gone.
This time, tribute to Nora is through arts and letters—poems, photographs, music, films, paintings, rare missives etc.
Diverse media have devoted not a few memorials about her like live shows, impersonations, taped interviews, Tik Tok, email, X (the former Twitter), Instagram etc.
Noranians
Noranians, including Marie Cusi, Lita Munez, Jen Donna Pergis Morera, Tess Ocampo, Anna Marie Abu, among others, have been moving heaven and earth to memorialize in their own special way the first death anniversary of Ate (a term of endearment to an older woman by affinity or by blood) Guy.
These avid Noranians have tapped popular entertainment to symbolize their adulation to their departed idol.
As remembrances to the reign of Nora, they organized contests and games to relive the phenomenal stardom of Nora such as “Awra Mala-Nora,” a look-alike, sing-alike contest, “Bongga Ka, ‘Day,” Dance pair competition and group production number search alluded from various editions of “Superstar,” the TV show.
In death as in life, revelations are quite revealing too many.
And they are homage to the actress in the here and now and beyond.
Victor “Cocoy” Laurel and visual artist Francis Tanseco
The late singer-actor Victor Laurel, also known as Cocoy Laurel had, according to visual artist Francis Tanseco, painted five art works on Nora, her perennial screen love team in the early 70s.
As a matter of fact, the couple was teased to be reel and real-life lovers despite the presence of Tirso Cruz III as the other half of the Guy and Pip love pair on and off-screen and the rise of Christopher de Leon to superstardom and who was to be the future husband of Nora.
He surmised, according to Francis, that Cocoy must have painted more than five canvases in his lifetime with Nora as muse.
Tanseco recently publicized in his personal blog that the missing La Aunor portrait was just recovered not too long ago by ardent Noranians.
“Lollipops and Roses”
The painting was utilized in the 1971 movie “Lollipops and Roses” and it was like a treasure find.
Must Guy and Cocoy have a romance?
Their followers must have been jumping in joy even in their absence.
“A love story of Greek tragedy proportions, a Makrothymia ‘suffers long’ in Greek. A love that waits a lifetime but not consumed, perhaps a love that will be travelling through time and onto another cycle of life. They must have realized their love affair in the great beyond,” said Tanseco, a nurse who currently works in the US.
Victor was a trained visual artist in Madrid, Spain and Tanseco is confident about his aesthetics in capturing the soul of the Superstar.
Francis asked: “Did Cocoy Laurel paint Nora Aunor to rival Mona Lisa in 1970?”
Don’t you know that in the forthcoming memorial birthday of Ate Guy, the Nora-Victor fans will hold a premiere showing abroad on May 26, 2026 of a documentary film about the two national treasures.
According to Francis, Connie Po, an avid supporter of Guy and Cocoy is spearheading the historic doc film event.
Docu film on Guy and Cocoy
In its premiere screening, the Tacloban and Catbalogan-rooted artist will play his original song composition titled “Nora Aunor,” its melody composed by Jose Paulo de la Cruz and interpreted by Lita de la Cruz.
The film is a collaboration of Po and the Philippine core group, namely, Asa Malinao, Marly Valino, LA Vie Culaway, Shirley Tocino, Beth Magsino, Ethel Sabayan, Edgar De Leon Patenio, Cely Malolos, Joyce Viray and Gwen Legayada with the US, Canada and Australia group like Rosella Bianan, Twin Hearts, Joyce Caoiran, Chato Trident, Belen Estrella, Sally Bangawan Charpie, Susie Angie Gossett, Adora McEwen and Maridel Jamieson.
On his part, Francis is also a visual artist in his own right and takes Nora as his inspiration as well.
How many art works has he created with the Superstar as his model?
They were all exhibited in several parts of the world like the Philippines, US and the United Kingdom.
Tanseco also writes poems for his idol which he has preserved all these years.
As a matter of fact, he has already read them in public and converted them to social media content on Facebook.
A line or two of the poems run like this: “Nung panahon ng kontra-kultura, isang rosas ang nadiligan ng ulan…”
Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Nora Aunor follower
Meanwhile, as a Nora Aunor follower, Philippine arts doyenne Cecile Guidote-Alvarez had thought of extending the SDG WPS “Atin Ito” art exhibit at Camp Aquino Station Hospital (CASH) in Tarlac City to Filipinos who maintain the pursuit of national development through the arts.
Cecile was Aunor’s producer of the stage play “The Trojan Women” shown at Dulaang Balintataw in 1994.
Guidote-Alvarez supported the art show of Earthsavers visual artists centering on the protection of the West Philippine Sea and the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals. Other guests in the event were Lopez Santos III, Secretary of National Anti-Poverty Commission; Col. Dominador Acova, Jr.; Col. Elba S. Cruz etc.
A true superstar is rare and impossible to replace – and that is Ms. Nora Aunor. Ate Guy was not only an icon, but also a champion of arts and music. She stands as the unparalleled superstar of Philippine cinema – leaving an indelible mark on its history and culture. She is truly immortal, and her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.