It was 1971. My dear Tatay and Nanay asked me for my heart’s desire. They wished to reward me for graduating as Valedictorian from Koronadal Pilot Elem. Sch. I told them I wanted to see Guy and Pip (Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III) in the Parade of Stars during the Manila Film Festival. I thought I was asking for the moon but they just couldn’t say NO because it was gonna be in June, my birthmonth.
We positioned ourselves at the Ospital ng Maynila and waited for the incoming arrival of floats. I couldn’t remember the other stars who passed by because I was only interested in seeing Guy and Pip in the flesh. Then there it was, the float I was waiting for—right in front of me. I was screaming at the top of my voice while trying to reach the hands of my idols. We couldn’t get out of the flood of die-hard fans so we just walked beside the float until it reached Cinerama Theater along CM Recto Avenue (more than 5 kms away from Ospital ng Maynila).
We hurdled the long queue to buy tickets at the booth and luckily, we were able to sit at the middle row in the Orchestra area. It was like a Grand Picnic inside the theatre. We could hear the clinking sound of spoons and forks of the people eating in the dark while watching Guy and Pip heheheh . . .
It was a very rare occasion that both Tatay and Nanay accompanied me to watch a Nora Aunor film. I was ecstatic to say the least. However, I was sad not being able to rewatch it because Tatay insisted that we leave immediately after the first screening to fill our hungry stomachs. What a pity. Back then, we could have stayed inside the cinema from opening until closing without anyone forcing us to leave.
A lot of people surmised that Nanay named me after Nora Aunor. That’s not true at all because Ate Guy was only 5 yrs old when I was born. But Nanay was extremely elated that from poverty, Nora rose to fame as the Philippines’ first and only Superstar. She kept reminding me that she did an awesome job naming me Nora. In 2022, Nora Aunor was conferred as National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts. She was regarded as the most awarded Filipino actress in history.
In a way, I was relieved that Nanay could no longer remember Nora Aunor when she met her untimely demise last April 16, 2025. Thank God my mother was spared of the same anguish and pain I went through with my idol’s passing.
During tragedies like this, having Alzheimer’s Disease is a gift.
