Caridad Sanchez, confidante noon ni Nora Aunor

Anak ni Caridad Sanchez, inalala ang closeness ng ina kay Nora Aunor.

Cathy Sanchez Babao (not in photo) on her mom Caridad Sanchez (in striped top) and Nora Aunor’s (in denim wear) friendship: “Mom became her sounding board. Their calls would stretch on for hours, the cordless phone drifting from the living room to the kitchen, then to the bathroom, and finally into Mommy’s bedroom—always tucked beneath her chin like a secret.” 
PHOTO/S: Courtesy of Noel Ferrer’s personal collection

JERRY OLEA:

Hinaing ng kaibigang Bibeth Orteza sa Facebook, “Hindi ko maintindihan kung paanong ang dapat ay Visita Iglesia, naging Visita Funeraria.”

Para sa pamilya lamang ang unang araw ng lamay para kay National Artist Nora Aunor noong Huwebes Santo, Abril 17, 2025.

Pero maaga pa lang ay nagtungo na roon sina Vilma Santos at Robin Padilla. Nagtungo na rin sina Coco Martin, Julia Montes, Gina Alajar, Imelda Papin, Jericho Rosales, Nadia Montenegro, at si Bibeth.

Siyempre, nandoon din si National Artist Ricky Lee.

Pamilya ang turing nila kay Ate Guy.

Remains of National Artist Nora Aunor at the first day of wake at Heritage Memorial Chapel 
Photo/s: Nadia Montenegro

Nakabakasyon dapat ang mga taga-media kung Huwebes Santo at Biyernes Santo. Pero may mga sumugod na sa burol.

Ang biological son ni Ate Guy na si Ian de Leon ang nagpainterbyu sa mga taga-TV upang linawin ang ilang bagay.

Si Nora ay Superstar. Isang alamat sa kasaysayan ng pelikulang Pilipino.

Kaya hindi na tayo nagulat kung ang pagdadalamhati ng kanyang mga kaibigan at tagasuporta ay super—labis-labis, liglig na liglig, nag-uumapaw.

Hindi na rin tayo nagtaka na merong mga lumot, bubog, at kalawang na lumutang, at ang inaalala ay ang mga kalokahan ni Ate Guy. Iilan lamang sila.

Marahil, nilalamon sila ng inggit at pagtataka kung bakit ganoon na lamang ang pagluluksa ng mga hindi nila kauri.

Noon pa man ay ang masa ang nagluklok kay Nora sa pagiging Superstar.

Ang natatanging brilyo ng Superstar ang dahilan kaya iginawad sa kanya ang pagkilala bilang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining.

Kaya may watawat ng Pilipinas sa kanyang kabaung.

Narito ang ilan pang pagpupugay kay Ate Guy sa Facebook…

MANUNURI NG PELIKULANG PILIPINO

“The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino joins the entire nation in honoring the life and legacy of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, Nora Aunor.

“The Superstar received the first Gawad Urian for Best Actress in 1976. She would go on to receive Best Actress honors seven times from an unmatched record of twenty one nominations, and be honored as the Best Actress of the Decade three times.

“In 2015, she received the Natatanging Gawad Urian for her distinct, singular body of work that, borrowing from Manunuri Tito Valiente, ‘sustains a high in acting unseen heretofore in this industry.’

“Manunuri Butch Francisco writes that ‘[a]lthough her magnificent voice initially served as her big ticket to superstardom, it was her performances in the movies that enshrined Nora Aunor as the biggest female iconic figure in Philippine show business… She also dissolved the prejudice against the bakya crowd – so-called because in the ‘60s market vendors trooped to movie houses to watch Tagalog features in their wooden clogs.

“‘Her almost unequalled talent, charisma and all-encompassing appeal became the great equalizer – with the elite beginning to appreciate Nora Aunor films (once patronized only by the masses), particularly those done in collaboration with top directors.’”

ICE SEGUERRA

“Paalam, pinakamaningning na bituin. Hayaan mong kahit saglit ang buong mundo’y dumilim. Luluhod ang araw, buwan, at mga tala. Habang tumatangis ang ulap sa iyong pagkawala.

“Sa sandaling iyon ay aalalahanin. Ang liwanag na ibinigay mo sa amin Habang buhay, ikaw ang hihirangin. Mananatiling pinakamaningning na bituin.”

CEDRICK JUAN

“Maraming nagpapahatid ng kani-kanilang pakikiramay at pagalala sa pagkawala ng ating national artist for film and broadcast arts na si Ms. Nora Aunor. Dahil sa galing, husay at longevity na nagawa niya sa industriya.

“Pero para sa akin, ang pinakamahalaga sa lahat ay yung longevity na nagawa niya. Ibig sabihin ay marunong siya makisama sa lahat ng nakakatrabaho sa harap at likod ng kamera.

“Na sana ito ang unahin na aralin ng lahat ng gustong maging artista ng bayan. Isang beses na makatrabaho pero totoong may hiwaga ang mata niya sa pagarte at pagiging tao.

“Salamat po sa inspirasyon at pagiging tao kahit na isa kayo sa pinakamaningning na bituin sa industriya ng pelikula at telebisyon.

“Pakikiramay sa lahat ng malalapit na kaibigan at pamilya.”

GARDO VERSOZA

“Ang kilala kong bituin na kailanman ay hindi nasilaw sa anumang materyal na bagay.

“Salamat sa lahat lahat sa mga naituro mo sa naibahagi mo at higit sa lahat sa iyong hindi matatawarang pagmamahal. Labyu Mare.”

RICHARD REYNOSO

“It was in the late 80s when I had the opportunity to act alongside the one and only Superstar and National Artist, Ms. Nora Aunor when I was invited to appear in her weekly TV show, Ang Makulay Na Daigdig ni Nora.

“I was very new in the industry and wasn’t really confident with my acting skills, not to mention the added pressure I get from my family telling me to do well kasi I will be working with a legendary actress like Ate Guy that got me extremely nervous and kept holding on to my script to make sure that I memorize my lines.

“In one scene where both of us were seated in the park talking, napansin ni Ate Guy yung kaba ko at pilit na mine-memorize yung mga linya ko. She began asking me stuff while I was running the lines in my head.

“Stuff like, ‘Anong mga gigs ang naka-line-up sa ‘yo this week? Ano ba mga kinakanta ko sa mga shows mo?’ etc.

“Nagtataka ako why she kept on doing this even when the Assistant Director was already setting up the scene for the take.

“Right after I heard the word ACTION, Ate Guy immediately switched character and delivered her lines so effortlessly. Nagulat akong bigla and wasn’t able to reply.

“The Assistant Director yelled ‘Cut! Take 2!’. Dumbfounded, I looked back at Ate Guy who was just smiling at me. Maybe it was her way of teaching me to be always be ready and be on my toes when reporting for work.

“This experience taught me a very important lesson in the industry. After that I’ve been so lucky to have other encounters with her especially whenever she appeared in GMA Supershow and when she was invited as one of the judges in A Song of Praise Musicfest and my guesting in her show, “Superstar” (pictured below)

“Ate Guy will always be in our hearts. She was truly a National Treasure and we will remain grateful for her contribution to the showbiz industry.

“Be with God, Ate Guy. Maraming maraming salamat sa mga alaala.”

OSCAR G. CASAYSAY

“Bihira man kita nakita ng personal dahil kami ay nasa malayong lungsod ng Davao.

“Ang una kong mabigat na gawain bilang Executive Director ay nasabak ako sa final process ng pagpili ng National Artists noong huling buwan ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.

“At isa ka sa listahan na submit sa Malacañang. Ilang beses ka napasama sa listahan at at nasawi. Hanggang ang dasal ng lahat Noranians mo ay dininig.

“Sa wakas ikaw ay ganap ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at kinikilala bilang isa sa kayamanan ng Bayan.

“At laking pasalamat ko ang dating makita ko lang sa pelikuka ay nakausap at nakadaupang palad ko pa. Nakasama ko pa sa meeting na parang dating kakilala.

“Di ka man nakadalo sa Awarding sa Malacañang andoon naman ang iyong mahal na mga anak. At kahit masama pa ang katawan pinagbigyan mo ang iyong Noranians at dumalo ka sa CCP.

“At akala namin bumalik na ang iyong sigla. Ilang beses tayo nag meeting sa NCCA para sa iyong proyekto.

“Tunay kang Artista ng Bayan! Maraming Salamat NA Nora Aunor!”

GORGY RULA:

Hindi maku-question ang husay ni Ate Guy, kaya nga siya tinanghal na National Artist.

At iyong mga kuwento ng kalokahan ni Ate Guy ay tabon na tabon ng mga kuwento ng kanyang generosity.

CATHY SANCHEZ BABAO

Heartfelt ang kuwento ng daughter ni Caridad Sanchez na si Cathy Sanchez Babao:

“She would often call late at night, when the world had quieted and only the hum of crickets and the buzz of the cordless phone broke the stillness. Once or twice, I was the one who answered.

“‘Hello, puede po makausap si Tita?’ The voice was soft, almost hesitant. Shy, but oddly familiar—like a song you half-remember but can’t quite place.

“‘Sino po ito?’ I asked, glancing at the clock. Nearly 10 p.m. Who would be calling Mommy this late? ‘Si Guy po…’

“What? A pause. My breath caught. The Superstar herself. Nora Aunor. Ate Guy. ‘Sandali lang po, Ate Guy…’

“The first time it happened, I stood frozen in place. Starstruck. Speechless. It was the 1980s. She was at the peak of everything.

“Mom and Ate Guy shared a friendship as fierce as it was quiet—something forged in long conversations and unspoken understanding.

“Through the 1980s and well into the early ’90s, their bond held. That was a turbulent season in Ate Guy’s life. She had separated from Kuya Boyet, was raising Ian, Lotlot, and Matet, all while carrying the weight of her stardom and the constant demands of film and public life.

“Mom became her sounding board. Their calls would stretch on for hours, the cordless phone drifting from the living room to the kitchen, then to the bathroom, and finally into Mommy’s bedroom—always tucked beneath her chin like a secret.

“She never said much about the things they talked about, but I knew. I saw it in the way she’d nod quietly, the way she’d sometimes sigh after a long call, as though holding someone else’s heartache gently in her hands.

“They had met back in the early 1970s, on a LEA Productions film.

“But it wasn’t until my father passed away in 1981 that their friendship deepened into something else—something close to kinship.

“Over the years, I lost count of how many times Ate Guy moved houses. Ten, maybe more. And when a crisis came—and there were many—Mom would drop everything and go. ‘Mabilis lang,’ she’d say, almost out the door. ‘May pinagdadaanan lang si Guy.’

“One afternoon, after picking me up from school, we went straight to Capitol Medical Center. One of the kids—Matet, I think—was confined. Ate Guy was away.

“From there, we drove to their house in the Scout area to check on the others. I watched my mother quietly slip into this other role—comforter, fixer, second mother.

“She had always had a soft spot for her co-stars, but with Ate Guy, it was different. Deeper. Steadier.

“There was something about the Superstar that always felt the opposite of what the world imagined her to be. She was simple, soft-spoken. Mapagkumbaba.

“She was, as Mommy used to say, ‘ibibigay lahat.’ Generous to a fault. And though she belonged to the public, she preferred the quiet company of a few—family, old friends, people who wouldn’t ask her to be anyone but herself.

“Conversations that stretched into midnight and meandered toward dawn.

“Sometime near the end of that decade, Mommy called me into her room. ‘Halika, tignan mo ito,’ she said. She was holding a small velvet box, the kind that clicked open with a soft sigh. Inside: a pair of diamond earrings, gold-framed, catching the light like they had something to say. ‘Bigay ni Bulilit,’ she smiled.

“She told me she had tried to give them back. It was too much, she said. But Ate Guy wouldn’t hear of it. ‘Sasama po ang loob ko,’ (I will feel bad) she had said, refusing.

“Tucked beside the earrings was a small handwritten card, no frills, just feeling: ‘Tita, maraming, maraming salamat sa lahat.’

“Even now, I can still see the earrings, catching sunlight from the window. And I think about friendship—the kind that doesn’t need to shout, the kind that moves quietly, late at night, from sala to bedroom, across movie sets and hospital corridors, across years.

“The kind that shines quietly, like a gift that cannot be returned.

“Ate Guy left the way she often lived off-screen: quietly, without fanfare, as if not wanting to trouble anyone.

“But in her wake, she leaves behind a brilliance that refuses to dim—a light that lives on in every song, every role, every life she touched.

“She was more than an icon. She was a rare soul, generous and grounded, a woman who bore the weight of fame with astonishing grace. The one and only Superstar of Philippine cinema.

NOEL FERRER:

“Ang huling textan namin ni Ate Guy ay iyung pagpapaabot niya ng pagbati sa tinatawag na nakababatang superstar na si Judy Ann Santos -Agoncillo, noong nagwagi ang huli sa 50th Metro Manila Film Fest bilang best actress para sa Espantaho.

Lubos na lumalim ang paghanga at pagmamahal ni Juday kay Ate Guy na nakasama niya sa pelikulang Babae under Lupita Kashiwahara noon.

JUDY ANN SANTOS

Heto ang tribute ni Juday sa kanyang Ate Guy: “Nakakatulalang isipin ang pagkawala mo sa industriyang pinalawak mo.

“Isa ka sa pinakamapagkumbaba at pinakahinangaan ng nakakarami, aming National Artist…

“Maraming salamat sa napakalaking ambag mo sa mundong minahal mo at inakap mo nang buong buo …

“Walang sinumang makakapalit sa estado at galing mo… Paalam Ate Guy… Paalam sa aming nag -iisang SUPERSTAR… Mahal na mahal ka namin.”

Nora and Judy Ann 
Photo/s: Courtesy of Noel Ferrer’s personal collection