Nora Aunor would have turned 72 this 21 May. But, sadly, she left us last 16 April.

As soon as her death was announced, newspapers, television programs and various social media platforms started paying tribute to the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts. Fans and colleagues alike recalled their fond memories of the superstar.

But since her life was complex and colorful, there were so many important details in her past that were missed out. With her birthday fast approaching, maybe this is a good time to remember significant chapters in Nora’s life so that today’s generation may learn from the right decisions she made, the mistakes she committed and generally the circumstances that helped mold her character. Let us start with her childhood marked by poverty.

Why she preferred cash

Nora’s family was so poor that they hardly celebrated Christmas. But there was a time they got lucky and had what to her was “the best Noche Buena ever.”

One Christmas Eve, her father, Eustacio Villamayor, brought home a whole carp that her mother, the former Antonia Cabaltera, turned into a soup dish. In her young mind, eating that carp with rice truly felt like Christmas.

Eustacio was actually an industrious man who would take on any job just to be able to feed his family. But it was just his luck that his surname started with the letter V. Working in construction or in the fields, he sometimes never got paid because the salary was distributed in alphabetical order. By the time the paymaster got to the end letters of the alphabet, there would be no more money left for Eustacio to bring home.

Could this have been the reason why Nora always wanted to have cash on hand all the time when she was already earning big bucks as a superstar? During the early part of her career, she refused to get paid in checks. Nora preferred cash.

In the late 1960s when she had already become a big star, there were no P500 or P1,000 bills in circulation. So, her salary — usually in P50 or P20 denominations — had to be stashed in a “bayong” (native bag). By the way, there were no plastic bags either in those days — so “bayong” it was for her.

Looking at the bundles and bundles of cash gave her a sense of security. Nora always feared going hungry. This was the reason she seriously considered the adoption offer of the American singer Timi Yuro, who promised to bring her to the United States. Under Timi Yuro’s care, she was assured that somebody was going to feed her.

The two actually met at the Araneta Coliseum where Ms. Yuro had a concert and Nora was one of the guest performers. Timi Yuro took an instant liking to her and volunteered to be Nora’s guardian. After weighing her options, Nora decided to stay in the Philippines since she didn’t want to be away from her family.

Had the adoption proceeded and she was brought to the States, could Nora have been an international star? That idea isn’t far-fetched given the fact that she was a world-class performer.

Bigger than any mestiza

The Philippines became her stage instead. Sampaguita Pictures decided to build her up as a star. It was a huge gamble on the part of the film studio since the stars they built up even before the war were mostly tall and mestizas (half-breeds). To name a few: Gloria Romero, Amalia Fuentes, Susan Roces, Jean Lopez, Gina Pareño and even Loretta Marquez, who looked Pinay on screen, but was actually half-American. Her real name was Flordeliza King.

It should be noted here, however, that Nora wasn’t the first petite “kayumanggi” (brown-skinned) to make it big in local showbiz. Prior to her, there was Edna Luna, the original Dyesebel. There was also Gloria Sevilla, the queen of Visayan movies.

But it was Nora who broke the “mestiza” mold. Had she not entered the scene, the next movie queen after Susan and Amalia could have been Rosemarie Sonora. Or perhaps even Jeanne Young and Helen Gamboa.

Despite her being dark and diminutive, however, Nora still became bigger than her mestiza predecessors — oh so much bigger. Her fans worshiped her — to the point of idolatry. Every time she went down the staircase of the Vera-Perez house at the Sampaguita Pictures compound, her fans would rush toward her and kiss the hemline of her long dress.

Hoodwinked, but never again

Given her phenomenal success, everyone wanted to make money off her. One director-producer even exploited Nora.

When she was starting in the movies, her films were the easiest to mount. She would be made to record songs every week — even if she was sick. Nora would then be made to sing under a tree, sit on a stool or walk on some pavement lip-syncing songs she had previously recorded.

There would be a dozen of those musical numbers per film. Of course, those were interspersed within a flimsy plot that would always have a joyous ending. Since the setup in her movies weren’t complicated, she’d be able to finish a film at the record speed of three days — sometimes even two and a half days.

Given that she was doing mostly MTV-like scenes, Nora was hardly able to grasp the story of each movie she was making. Little did she know that her director-producer was making her do three films at the price of one.

Nora eventually realized that her director-producer was making a fool of her during a shoot in her native Iriga. They arrived in her hometown mid-week. By Sunday, she saw her co-stars leave for Manila. Only she and the director-producer and crew were left behind.

The following day, a new set of stars arrived. Were they there for another movie she wasn’t told about? All she knew was that she got a downpayment just for one film.

When Nora scanned the movie pages of newspapers, she realized that she actually had a film being released every week. How did that happen? Her suspicions proved to be right. Her director-producer would make her sign a contract for one picture. But since she would be made to do so many musical numbers, there would be a lot to insert for two more films — for which she wouldn’t get paid.

While in Iriga, Nora mapped out her escape plan. It so happened that there was a scene involving a train with three coaches. During the setup, she asked the engineer to teach her how to run the train (technology and mechanics had always been her interest). When she learned how to operate the train, she drove it all the way to Sipocot — around six towns away from Iriga. The train engineer was helpless and couldn’t stop her.

When she was sure that she couldn’t be followed anymore, she and her assistant Dory got off the train – after thanking and apologizing profusely to the engineer – and hopped onto a bus bound for Manila. She was able to reach the bus station in Cubao without being recognized by other passengers since she hid under the cover of darkness (it was a night trip).

From Cubao, she and Dory took a cab to take her home, which was only close by — in Natib Street. Nora was finally able to get away from the clutches of her exploitative director-producer.

Only one Superstar

That experience hardened Nora. After being exploited for so long, she made a promise to herself that she would never allow people to take advantage of her anymore. Of course, her generosity remained and she continued giving out dole-outs to those in need.

But the capitalists can go hang as far as she was concerned. They couldn’t take her for a ride anymore. She began choosing her projects and learned to engage in arguments regarding artistic differences. That allowed her to make significant movies and, in the process, developed her into a serious actress.

Unfortunately for her, the producers had the funds to grease the palms of the press. In time, she was pictured as “being difficult.” Movie reporters even called her “Nora Indyanera” because she sometimes wouldn’t show up for shoots.

But as she explained to this writer during a long talk over coffee some 10 years ago, she would only be difficult if she was unhappy on the set – if the crew wasn’t being treated right by the producer, for instance. Or if she was getting the raw end of the deal. Most of the time she was because of her generous heart and lack of interest in anything material.

There are so many other stories about her character and career that need to be put on record. As the most important local pop icon (she and FPJ), her journey should be documented. What her fans love to say may now sound trite, but still holds true: There can only be one superstar. And that’s Nora Aunor.