Dissecting Every Conspiracy Theory About Nora Aunor

It's a shame when young stars of today do not recognize the personalities and real stars who contributed a lot to the development local showbiz. But it just plain irritates a lot of people when newcomers and "star" wannabes become swell-headed and see themselves as "superstars" after doing one or two movies or after starring in a couple of TV shows.

These showbiz upstarts have no idea what a real "Superstar" is.

A Superstar is someone who has thousands of supporters, who treat the star as their queen or king, not only in their youth but throughout their whole life. The Superstar's fans withstand the heat of the sun and the cold rain just to wait and follow their idol during any event—loyalists who would fight and virtually die for their idol. They would even name their offspring after their Superstar.

A Superstar is someone whose love life is always colorful, always watched and talked about.

A Superstar has stories and legends that blur the line between fact and fiction.

And as we all know, Philippine showbiz has only one Superstar—Ms. Nora Aunor.

Here are three conspiracy theories, urban legends, and what have you about the superstar.

Nora Aunor's Fling With Hollywood Actor Don Johnson

In 1970, Nora Aunor, did the movie Lollipops and Roses. Produced by Premiere Productions, it was touted as one of the most expensive movie productions of that time, having been shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and even hiring foreign talents.

When the movie was finally shown in the Philippines, it was an instant hit. Lollipops and Roses set the record for being the first Filipino movie to be shown not only in "masa" theaters, but also in first-class, "Hollywood movies only" theaters such as the Greenhills and Magallanes theaters. The movie was shown for six months in theaters all over the country, raking in a lot of money for Premiere Productions and, of course, for the Superstar Nora Aunor.

Fast-forward to the ‘80s: The hit U.S. TV detective series Miami Vice was all the rave among fashion-mad, music-loving, hip-crazy kids who emulated the way the characters in the show talked, moved, and wore their clothes, particularly one of the show's lead stars, Don Johnson.

Veteran showbiz writers, and especially, fans of Nora Aunor, recognized Don as one of the two U.S.-based talents that Premiere Productions hired to star with then 17-year-old Nora Aunor in the movie Lollipops and Roses. (The other Hollywood star was Davy Jones, lead singer of the ‘60s rock n'roll band The Monkees.)

Don played the son of the Nora character's foster parents in the States. In the movie, Don was extra-nice to Guy because he had a crush on her. "She's a brown doll," Don's character said of Nora. He showed her around while Nora was in L.A., and even sang The Carpenters' "Close To You" in a duet with Guy in one scene. He was trying to get Nora's attention away from his rival in the movie, Pinoy actor Victor "Cocoy" Laurel.

Some showbiz writers and fans insisted that "The Don" really fell for Nora and the two became a couple while Nora was in the States. Nora, they said, was nursing a broken heart after her breakup with Tirso Cruz III—her reel and rumored real sweetheart when she was still working for Sampaguita Pictures—and Don was at the right place and at the right time. He courted Guy and they had a short fling.

And as the story goes, the fling ended before Nora returned home. They never saw each other afterwards.

Nora reigned as the Philippines' Superstar through the rest of the ‘70s, until the early part of the ‘90s, while Don, after unsuccessful attempts for Hollywood stardom, finally hit it big when he was cast in Miami Vice with Philip Michael Thomas.

Don became an ‘80s icon by the popularity of Miami Vice. After the show ended in 1990, he turned to doing movies and had moderate hits. In 1996, he returned to TV with the cop show Nash Bridges but went low-profile again after the show ended in 2001. He still appears once in a while in TV and films.

Nora didn't talk too much about her relationship with Don, certainly not about tales that could be easily dismissed as plain rumor.

But was the tryst between Nora and Don a fact or urban legend?

Nestor de Guzman is a Noranian, as fans of the Superstar call themselves. In fact, he is the editor of the Noranian book, Si Nora Aunor Sa Mga Noranian: Mga Paggunita at Pagtatapat, a collection of stories he compiled from different hardcore Noranians who shared their memories and experiences as the Superstar's die-hard fans.

PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) finds his credentials sufficient enough for him to qualify as a resource person who can shed light on the Nora-Don fling story.

"Hindi totoo," Nestor answered when PEP asked him about the Nora-Don fling. "Urban legend lang talaga, dahil hindi naman naging sila ni Don Johnson.

"Si Don Johnson ay co-star lang ni Nora Aunor sa pelikulang Lollipops and Roses, starring Nora and Victor 'Cocoy' Laurel. Kasi dahil superstar nga si Nora, idolo ng mga masa, na galing lang sa mahirap na pamilya na sumikat at naging Superstar nga, gusto nilang makita kung ano ang reaksyon ng mga tao kung ipapareha si Nora kay Cocoy Laurel na isang mayamang elitista at anak ng isang senador."

Lollipops and Roses, he added, was just one of the two movies Nora made while she was in the U.S. The other was The Singing Filipina under Tower Productions, the movie outfit co-owned by Artemio Marquez, who directed Nora in this movie and in Lollipops and Roses. Director Marquez is the father of actors Joey Marquez and Melanie Marquez.

"Nora left the for the U.S. for Premiere Productions' Lollipops and Roses and Tower Productions' The Singing Filipina, in November 12, 1970. She stayed there until January 15, 1971. Pag-uwi niya rito sa Pilipinas, ipinalabas na ang Lollipops and Roses," Nestor told PEP.

"Actually, meron pang mas sikat na co-star si Nora sa Lollipops and Roses, si Davy Jones [credited in the movie as Davey Jones] ng The Monkees. Siya'ng mas type pa ni Nora kesa kay Don. ‘Tapos nung ginawa niya yung The Singing Filipina, ang nakasama niya roon si Sajid Khan, isang Indian international actor."

Sajid Khan, PEP found out, was an Indian actor who already made a name in Hollywood as early as the 1960s. He was a teenage sensation during the ‘60s and, Nestor revealed, was Nora Aunor's "M.U."

"Parang nagkaroon sila ng ‘something' ni Sajid. Parang M.U., [mutual understanding]. In fact, sinundan pa nga siya ni Sajid dito sa Pilipinas nung 1971, after nilang gawin yung The Singing Filipina. Kaya lang pagdating ni Sajid sa Pilipinas, hindi na siya nilabas ni Nora. Dinedma na siya."

Sajid, Nestor recalled, left the country without even seeing Nora. Nestor said, Nora's reason for not seeing Sajid was not just because of her rumored reunion with Tirso Cruz III or Pip. There was more to Nora's situation in 1971 that made seeing Sajid impossible for Nora.

The Legend of the "Lucky 12 and "Operation: Kumbento"

Sajid Khan became a teen sensation in the States, long before Bollywood. Nora and Sajid starred in Tower Productions' The Singing Filipina (1971) directed by Tower's co-owner Artemio Marquez. Nestor said Sajid was so smitten by Nora, that after doing The Singing Filipina, Sajid followed Nora to the Philippines in May 1971 to pursue the "special friendship" that developed between them while they were shooting their movie.

But Sajid failed to see Nora. During their movie's premiere, Nora was not there to promote the movie with Sajid. Even the media had no idea where the Superstar was. Sajid left the Philippines without even a glimpse of the little brown girl with the golden voice who captured his heart.

It was later learned that the reason behind Nora's absence was her secret meetings with the boy she refused to be in a movie with a few months before. The same boy she fell in love with after a couple of movies together and gave her a pretty, blonde child-sized doll to symbolize their love for each other. But they had an argument over his being linked to beautiful, tall, and fair-skinned starlets. This mestizo lad from a famous musical family from Tondo who has been secretly meeting with Nora is no other than her reel and real love, Tirso Cruz III, or Pip to his and her fans.

"But during those times, Nora and Pip must not be seen together," Nestor said. "Nora was in the middle of a legal battle. Nagdemandahan kasi ang Sampaguita Pictures at ang Tower Productions over which production outfit should really have the right to get Nora's services as talent in their movies."

Nora originally was a Sampaguita talent in 1967. She did only supporting roles in Sampaguita movies. It was Tower Productions that launched Nora to full stardom in 1969 with D' Musical Teenage Idols. In Nora's next movies with Tower, she was paired with Tower's contract star Manny de Leon. Nestor said, "Galit kasi sina Guy and Pip noon nung lumipat na si Guy sa Tower, kaya ang pinush na love team ng Tower, yung Nora-Manny [de Leon] na."

Nestor told PEP that after Tower learned of the frequent secret rendezvous of Nora and Tirso, Tower put a tight security on Nora to prevent her from seeing Tirso and the fans of their love team.

"Understandably, bad for business yun. Kasi si Tirso nasa Sampaguita at yung Nora-Manny love team, maiiwan na talaga sa ere kung mawawala si Nora sa Tower. Kaya binantayang maigi si Nora ng mga taga-Tower at ni Mamay Tunying [Nora's mother] na kampi sa Tower."

Just when the Guy and Pip fans thought all hope was lost, news suddenly broke out that Nora had finally returned to Sampaguita and to Pip's arms. Thanks to "Operation: Kumbento" and to the "Lucky 12."

What is "Operation: Kumbento"? Who are the "Lucky 12"?

Are they even real? Are they fact or fiction?

December 6, 1970, while shooting The Singing Filipina in the U.S., Nora sent a letter to her reporter-radio broadcaster friend Inday "Ate Luds" Badiday. Inday had been Nora's close friend ever since their 1967 interview, after Nora won in Tawag ng Tanghalan. Nestor said Nora terribly missed Tirso and that was the subject of her letter to Ate Luds.

"Ipinagtapat niya sa sulat na si Tirso ang kanyang unang pag-ibig kaya hindi niya ito malimot. Nasabi ni Nora na kung ‘di rin lang magiging sila ni Tirso, pipiliin niyang pumasok na lang sa kumbento. Classified ang sulat pero binasa ito ni Inday sa kanyang radio program sa DWUL. Ito ang ugat ng ‘Operation Kumbento,' led by Inday with the members of Lucky 12, composed of the most fanatic Guy and Pip fans."

Nora "Tita Noy" Calderon was Tirso Cruz III's publicist from 1970 to 1980. She was witness to just how die-hard the Lucky 12 were in supporting Guy and Pip.

"Sobrang die-hard yung Lucky 12 na yun. After nilang maitakas si Guy from Tower at maibalik sa Sampaguita at kay Tirso, parang sila yung naging special bodyguards nina Guy and Pip. Sobrang loyal sila, lalo na kay Nora. Naghahalinhinan nga sila kung magbantay kay Pipo nung araw. Kasi si Nora selosa masyado, so sila, binabantayan nila si Pip, sa mga shows, sa shooting ng mga pelikula, hanggang sa bahay, nakabantay sila. Inaalam nila kung sino yung kinakausap ni Pip sa telepono, kung sino yung nali-link kay Tirso. Nire-report nila kay Nora, ‘tapos gumagawa sila ng paraan para matigil yung pagkaka-link kay Tirso nung babae," recalled Tita Noy.

One incident that showed how far the Lucky 12 would go for Guy and Pip was during the time Pip was being linked to a newcomer, daughter of a well-known veteran actor.

"Pumunta sila sa set ng pelikulang ginagawa nina Pip at ni [newcomer]. Inaway nila siya. Halos mahubaran ng damit sa sobrang galit nila kay ___. Pinigilan lang sila ng iba pang mga tao doon sa set. Ginawa nilang example si ___ para sa iba pang gustong ma-link kay Pip. Mula nga noon, wala nang na-link kay Tirso," narrated Tita Noy.

When PEP asked about their identities, Tita Noy said she can't remember their names but she knows each one of them by face. She referred PEP to Kuya Germs's secretary Carmelite, but we found out that both Kuya Germs and Carmelite are out of the country as of this writing. Tita Noy also told PEP she doubts Carmelite will reveal the names of the Lucky 12. With the things they did during their "tour of duty," it would be risky to reveal their names.

Noranians refer to Nora's rescue from the Tower Productions people as "The Great Escape." Nora's biographer Rustum Quinton has an account of how it happened.

"Naganap ang tinaguriang ‘Dakilang Pagtakas' ni Nora noong May 1, 1971. The night before, naroon pa si Nora sa bahay nina Artemio Marquez, kasama si Kitchie de Leon [anak ng may-ari ng KBS] at ilang reporters. Balisa si Nora at hindi masabi sa mga kasama ang naging desisyon na gumawa muli ng pelikula sa Sampaguita.

"Bandang alas-singko ng hapon, tumakas si Nora sa kanilang bahay sa Pasig, sakay ng taxi, kasama ang kanyang Ate Tita at si Pae, ang kanyang secretary. Lingid ito sa kaalaman ng kanyang mga magulang, pero inaasahan sa Sampaguita. Sa studio, naghihintay na kay Nora sina Doc Perez, German Moreno, Inday Badiday, Tirso, at ilang tagahanga. That very same day, they started to shoot Guy and Pip.

"Namalagi si Nora sa Sampaguita compound. Hindi na pinayagan na maglabas-masok sa studio ang mga movie writers. Isang gabi, may dalawang kotse na nagpaputok ng baril sa harap ng compound. Binigyan si Nora ng police security ni Mayor Norberto Amoranto ng Quezon City."

According to Tita Noy, the Lucky 12 helped in Nora's escape.

"Idinaan nila sa likuran ng bahay si Nora. Sa Pasig kasi yun, kaya sa likod, sa may Pasig River, idinaan nila. ‘Tapos nag-taxi sila papuntang Sampaguita. Mabilis lang lahat."

After "The Great Escape" the Lucky 12 was always on call every time Ate Luds would shout "Operation: Kumbento!" on her radio show.

In Nestor de Guzman's book Si Nora Aunor Sa Mga Noranian...is the account of Rosita Salazar, a member of the Grand Alliance for Nora Aunor, Philippines (GANAP), on Operation: Kumbento and the Lucky 12's ultimate mission:

"Noong araw ay halatang-halata kapag may tampuhan [sina Guy at Pip]. Madalas may talangka sa ulo si Guy, kung saan-saan nagpupunta, sobrang selosa. Nagluluksa rin si Maria Leonora Theresa kapag magkahiwalay ang mga "magulang"—dinadamitan siya ng itim. Malulungkot na kanta ang pinapatugtog ni German Moreno sa radyo. Sumisigaw naman si Inday Badiday ng ‘Operation: Kumbento!' Misyon ng Operation Kumbento na gumawa ng paraan para magkabalikan sina Guy and Pip. Leader si Inday Badiday at miyembro ang grupong Lucky 12."

The Superstar Phenomenon

The third urban legend comes from stories about Nora Aunor's manic popularity—or the "Superstar Phenomenon."

Were the stories of mass hysteria, of fans willing to get trampled on, risking life and limb just to see Nora, and their god-like adoration of the little brown girl from Iriga really true?

What about the stories of buses, firetrucks, cranes, and even a helicopter just to get La Aunor through a sea of screaming fans? Of using look-alikes to divert chasing fans from the Superstar?

Are all these just the usual publicity gimmicks, tall stories from publicists and reporter fans of the Superstar? Which is fact, which is fiction?

The hysteria began after Nora capped her 14-week undefeated streak with a grand championship win in Tawag ng Tanghalan in 1967. Fans followed and loved her when she started singing in the TV show Oras ng Ligaya and in the radio program Operatang Putul-putol.

Although her first recording flopped, her next LPs were certified hits and runaway bestsellers. Movies came next with her supporting appearances in musical portions of Sampaguita Pictures movies.

But it was the movie D'Musical Teenage Idols of Tower Productions that further fanned the flame of Nora's popularity. This movie—her first starring role—was a surprise box-office hit.

Nora broke through the "mestizas-only" rule of local cinema and proved to everyone that you don't have to be Caucasian-looking to carry a film and make it a box-office hit. Her next movies' record-breaking ticket sales only cemented more solidly her place in Philippine showbiz. The media quickly took notice of the phenomenon Nora was creating and gave her a title—The Superstar.

It was the late ‘60s and Filipinos were entering one of the most tumultuous eras in Philippine history. Enter the 4'11", brown-skinned girl from Iriga. Gifted with a golden voice and a pair of soulful eyes, she also had a Cinderella story that could inspire, fan the imagination, and take away all the worries of the problem-burdened Pinoys. Nora Aunor provided an escape, someone everyone could focus on and channel their faith unto during those troubled times.

De Guzman said there were only two reasons when one saw a very large group of people rallying on the streets in the early ‘70s. Either there was a student demonstration going on, or Nora's hordes of fans were off to see the premiere of her latest movie.

"Talagang grabe ang fans ni Nora nung araw," begins Nora "Tita Noy" Calderon veteran showbiz reporter and Tirso Cruz III's PR from 1970-80. "Yung isang nakakabaliw na naaalala ko about the fans of Nora and Pip [Tirso], nung nag-show sila ABS-CBN. Sa sobrang dami ng fans na gusto silang mahawakan, dun na lang sa ibabaw ng [old] ABS-CBN building sa Bohol sila nag-show.

"'Tapos minsan namang premiere ng isang movie nila, hindi sila makadaan sa entrance ng sinehan. So ang ginawa sa kanila, inilagay sina Guy and Pip sa forklift at itinawid sa mga tao. Sa likuran pa sila ng sinehan dumaan kasi ang dami talagang tao sa entrance," remembers Tita Noy.

This corroborates what Inday "Ate Luds" Badiday said in her interview with Gina Abuyuan-Llanes for the Daily Tribune in 2001. She related how she, Guy and Pip were herded into a man-sized safe (as large as the ones used in banks), in order to keep from being mobbed by the fans during movie premieres. A crane would carry the safe and deposit them safely at the back entrance.

Ate Luds was a very close friend of the Superstar and was often part of Nora's entourage. In that Daily Tribune interview, Ate Luds shared how one movie Nora was doing was put on hold because of excited fans out to get a glimpse and an autograph of Guy. The solution? "Nagkunwaring tulog siya. Ayun, para siyang santo," related Ate Luds. Fans formed kilometric lines waiting for their turn to look at their slumbering salvation, and touch her.

One more story of how Nora's fans adored her was that of her former PR Baby K. Jimenez's story as told to acclaimed fictionist and essayist Gilda Cordero-Fernando and published in the book Pinoy Pop Culture.

"One late morning," relates Jimenez, "we woke up ahead of Nora. There were many fans in the house and still a long row of cars outside. Pitying them for having travelled so far, Nora's mamay decided to allow the fans to take a peep, single file, of Guy sleeping. It was a hair-raising scene. One by one they came in, touched the sleeping Cinderella lightly, as if she were a saint, wiped her face with their handkerchief and made a quick exit while kissing the hanky they had pressed on their idol."

Patrick D. Flores, University of the Philippines professor and National Museum of the Philippines Arts Division Curator, wrote his thesis on the popularity of Nora Aunor. His report on how fans worshipped Nora was also mentioned by Cordero-Fernando in Pinoy Pop Culture.

"Fans placed her picture beside Jesus Christ or Mary and put leis of jasmine around it," writes Flores. "Others die embracing Nora's picture, requesting it to be buried with them."

Ate Luds swore the picture story was true. There was this fan, she said, who wished to be covered with Nora photos when he died. Ate Luds herself laid eyes on the corpse—peaceful in his coffin, plastered with Nora's photos from head to foot.

But perhaps the most popular recorded incident of Nora-fanaticism was during her 18^th birthday in 1971. It was covered by major publications, radio and TV.

Nora had been hiding inside the Sampaguita Pictures compound after escaping from Tower Productions. It was like Noranians from every part of the country were there to greet Nora on her debut. A sea of humanity stretched from the Sampaguita-Vera Perez compound gates on Gilmore St. to the Quezon City Stadium (now Amoranto Stadium), awaiting the appearance of their Superstar.

It was the morning of May 21, 1971, a motorcade came out of the Sampaguita compound. Fans were screaming and pushing just to see and greet Nora.

"Nag-provide ng police escorts ang mayor ng Quezon City noon na si Norberto Amoranto. Para makita si Guy ng mga natutulakang fans, kinailangang ipatong pa siya sa ibabaw ng malaking bus ng Sampaguita Pictures together with Tirso Cruz III, their make-believe daughter—doll Maria Leonora Teresa, and friends German Moreno and Inday Badiday," related de Guzman to PEP.

Nora waved at all her fans from the studio gates to the stadium, then back to the Vera-Perez compound where Nora's debut party was held at the compound's garden. Nora's biographer Rustum Quinton wrote that a firetruck was used afterwards to disperse the crowd waiting for Nora.

In a Mel and Jay episode when it used to air over at ABS-CBN, guest Robin Padilla—at the height of his popularity with movie hits like Bad Boy, Barumbado, and Maging Sino Ka Man—was asked what he thinks of his popularity. Robin humbly said, "Hindi pa naman po sikat na sikat. Hindi pa naman po nangyayari sa akin yung parang Nora Aunor na hine-helicopter pa para lang makadaan sa maraming fans."

For Robin, Nora's helicopter story was the gauge for a star being really "sikat na sikat na."

Inday Badiday, in an article for a broadsheet in 1999, wrote how the love team Guy and Pip had to be lifted by helicopter just to go through a very large crowd.

The madness that was Noramania was so intense that look-alikes or "doubles" were sometimes used just to sneak Nora out of a rowdy and unruly crowd. "Inilalabas nila yung ‘double' ni Nora para lituhin ang fans. ‘Tapos sa likuran ng sinehan, minsan may naghihintay na iba't ibang kotse para sakyan ni Guy. Para makatakas siya sa fans," related de Guzman.

But what seemed to be the height of the fans' craziness in everything about Nora was when Guy and Pip could not attend a parade for their movie to be shown in Cebu. Their entourage instead sent something good enough for the fans in lieu of the couple—their "daughter" Maria Leonora Teresa, the doll given by Pip as the symbol of his love to Guy.

"Ay, saan ka nakakita ng mga taong nahihimatay, nagsisigawan dahil sa manyika?" again Ate Luds shared this story in her Daily Tribune interview. She described how the crowds wailed and screamed when the doll raised her arm, as if in salutation.

Tita Noy supported her friend Ate Luds's story of how crazy everything and everyone was during the height of the Superstar phenomenon, especially with Maria Leonora Teresa. "Yung mga fans, nagpapadala ng mga alahas—mga tunay na alahas, ha! ‘Tapos mga damit pa, headband, sunglass, sapatos. Kumpleto! Tinatrato talaga nilang totoong tao yung manika."

The fans' manic love for Nora goes beyond the rags-to-riches drama of this poor little girl from Iriga who used to sell water in a train station. It goes beyond her "pakilig" reel and real love story with Pip. Nora Aunor is a natural artist. A gifted singer, a born thespian, a creature made for show business.

That's why even the critics love her. Alberto Florentino, author of The World Is an Apple, refers to Nora Aunor as "the greatest Filipino actor, of either gender, whether living in the Philippines or abroad—barring no one—either on film, on video, on radio, or on stage."

Her co-artists hold her in high esteem, like national artist Lamberto Avellana who calls Nora, "A perfect film actress." He reasons, "Perfect because in a film, since cameras can do extreme close-ups, the littlest of nuances count a lot. And Nora can do just that. She can show pain, sorrow, ecstasy, fun with just the eyes."

And the people, the masses, they really identify with Nora. When she came, they instantly knew they didn't need to aspire for something or someone foreign or high class. Here was Nora, one of their own, who dreamed and rose from poverty. Nora made them feel there is hope for anyone who dreams big and does something about it.

As for the love her fans give her, she reciprocates by being there when they reach out. Although she was always pulled away by her people to keep her from harm, she made sure they could always touch, hug and talk to her.

Years have passed since the phenomenon and the hysteria has died down. But the loyalty, love and respect are still there for the Superstar—four decades since her golden voice first filled the air.

As for those who don‘t care about her contributions to Philippine show business or who think they're the biggest thing happening before the cameras right now, look back and think again—where's your helicopter?

From: PEP.ph