NATIONAL Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Nora Aunor is expected to be laid to rest with full state honors following her death on Wednesday, April 16.

Aunor known as Philippine cinema’s “Superstar,” died at The Medical City in Pasig, surrounded by her family. She was 71.

Sources said preparations are underway for a state funeral, as mandated by Presidential Decree No. 208, which grants lifetime privileges and posthumous honors to National Artists, including burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.

Signed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1973, the decree also entitles National Artists to a monthly pension, medical benefits, life insurance coverage, and a place of honor at state functions and national commemorations. Among its provisions is the granting of a state funeral “the arrangements for and the expenses of which shall be borne by the government.”

If granted, Aunor would join other National Artists like Nick Joaquin, Fernando Poe Jr., and Francisco Sionil Jose who have received state funerals. In 2022, a national day of mourning was declared upon the death of Sionil Jose, with flags flown at half-mast nationwide.

Aunor was conferred the title of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022 through Proclamation No. 1390, signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte just weeks before the end of his term. Her selection capped decades of critical acclaim, box office success, and cultural impact, despite years of controversy surrounding her omission from earlier honors.

Born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Aunor rose to fame in the late 1960s after winning a national singing contest. She went on to star in more than 170 films, including classics like Bona, Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, Himala, and Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo. She earned Best Actress honors from international festivals in Cairo, Brussels, and Moscow, and remains one of the most awarded actors in Philippine history.