The first month of 2026 is the perfect time to clarify the details surrounding National Artist Nora Aunor in film and broadcast.
While Nora Aunor has become an iconic and highly esteemed name, she actually has no Aunor blood. Anyone familiar with her history knows that the title of National Artist was officially awarded to Nora Cabaltera Villamayor — not Nora Aunor. Yet, all government announcements eventually refer to her as “Aunor.”
The surname “Aunor” came from an uncle by marriage. He was a soldier married to Belen Cabaltera, Nora’s maternal aunt and a singer-musician who acted as a second mother to Nora. In the 1960s, Nora’s biological mother, Antonia Cabaltera Villamayor, brought her to Belen’s home near Nichols Air Base (later Villamor Air Base) to help hone her singing skills, having already won amateur contests in her hometown of Iriga, Camarines Sur.
Nora affectionately calls her aunt “Mamay Belen” — “Mamay” being the Bicolano word for “mother.” The Aunor surname was attached to Nora’s name when she joined the ABS-CBN radio-TV amateur singing contest Tawag ng Tanghalan for the second time. Her first attempt under her real full name was unsuccessful.
With Mamay Belen as her talent scout, she returned as Nora Aunor, became weekly champion, and held the title for 13 consecutive weeks, qualifying for the grand championship edition. At just 14, she became the grand champion of a nationally famous competition open even to adults. From then on, the name Nora Cabaltera Villamayor gradually faded from public memory.
Despite this, Nora always sought to preserve the Villamayor surname professionally. As a film producer, she credited herself as Nora C. Villamayor, and her production companies were named NV Productions or NCV Productions. She included her parents, particularly her father Eustacio Villamayor, as co-producers, and assigned credits to her siblings, the fourth of nine children.
Her older sister, Tita Aunor, also became an actress and was married to actor Arnold Mendoza. Tita passed away in August 2018 at age 72. Nora’s younger brother, Eddie Boy Villamayor — nicknamed “Buboy” — was a teen star in the 1970s, appearing in films like Alkitrang Dugo and Banaue: Stairway to the Sky. He passed away on 27 June 2016, at age 56, after a long illness. Nora was reportedly deeply affected by his death.
Are there real Aunors in Filipino showbiz today? Yes. Maribel “Lala” Aunor, daughter of Mamay Belen, was a former teen idol and part of the informal group Apat na Sikat, alongside Dondon Nakar, Arnold Gamboa, and Winnie Santos. Lala’s two daughters, Marion and Ashley, continue the Aunor legacy in music, with Marion serving as a label manager at Viva Music.
Little is publicly known about “Sgt. Aunor,” Belen’s husband, including his full name. He passed away before March 2016, when Belen died. The couple had several children — Nora’s cousins — named Norma, Bobot, Romy, Ramon, and Lala.
At Nora Aunor’s wake, none of the real Aunor family were invited. Historically, they never maintained a close relationship with the Villamayors, who even excluded Nora’s longtime companion, rapper-composer John Rendez. The genuine Aunors have never objected to the prominence of the Villamayor-born Aunor name, nor have they sought the spotlight at events honoring her.