Nora Aunor laid to rest at Libingan ng mga Bayani

Later in the program, Aunor's National Artist medallion was entrusted to her family before her burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.

She was given a 21-gun salute before she was laid to rest.

Aunor's generosity

Lee—who worked with Aunor in Himala, The Flor Contemplacion Story, Andrea, Paano Ba ang Maging Isang Ina?, and The Real Life of Pacita M., among others—in his eulogy pointed out how charitable Aunor was, to the point that she would immediately lend money to anyone who asked her.

The screenwriter said Aunor gave away her talent fee to the film crew on the last day of production and distributed cash to the prisoners involved in the filming of The Flor Contemplacion Story.

"Kalat na kalat ang mga kwento kung gaano siya kagalante," Lee said.

He noted how Aunor's life was difficult in recent times, especially since she had no properties—on top of dealing with several illnesses.

"Pero hindi pa rin siya tumigil ng pag-iisip para sa kapakanan ng iba," Lee noted, adding that Aunor wanted to establish a foundation that would give financial assistance to Noranians and other people who are in need.

"Buong buhay ni Guy, nagbigay siya nang nagbigay hanggang sa halos wala nang natira sa kanya," he said. "At tayo, dahil nasanay na tayong siya ang bigay nang bigay madalas, ay nakakalimutan natin na siya man ay may mga pangangailangan din."

Actor-director Joel Lamangan—whose projects with Aunor included The Flor Contemplacion Story, Muling Umawit ang Puso, Bakit May Kahapon Pa?, Sidhi, Hustisya, and Isa Pang Bahaghari—also attested to her generosity when it came to money.

"Bago siya naging National Artist, marami siyang pinagdaanan. Hindi importante sa kanya ang kayamanan o pera," Lamangan said, adding that she gave what she had to those who needed it the most.

During the filming of Himala, in which Lamangan portrayed a priest, he said director Ishmael Bernal sought to hire 20 senior citizens as extras but eventually rejected them. For their trouble, Aunor gave them cash.

"Nilapitan ako ni Ate Guy, 'Hayaan mo, kakausapin ko isa-isa.' Kinausap niya isa-isa noong papunta kami sa bus. Alam niyo, binigyan niya ng pera 'yung mga matatanda," he said. "Si Ate Guy ang nagbigay ng datung."

She would do the same to rejected extras who were supposed to portray sick people.

"Sinamahan na naman (niya) ako para ihatid na naman (sa bus) at binigyan na naman ng datung ang mga 'di nakapasang maysakit," Lamangan said.

He also recalled an incident when Aunor saw a man who was in low spirits for losing his carabao for livestock. After asking how much he needed, without hesitation, she called on her staff to give cash to the man.

"Umiyak 'yung matanda, lumuha, nagpasalamat, kinuha ang kamay niya, at hinalikan," he said. "Marami siyang kabutihang ginawa na di nalalaman ng tao."

Aunor's generosity wasn't only on the financial level. Lamangan recalled her guiding fellow actors who were having trouble in their portrayals to the point that they had to do several takes.

"'Iba ang karanasan niya sa karanasan ko. Iba ang pagtingin niya sa problema niya. Ang kailangan lang natin gawin, ilinaw sa kanya ang sitwasyon para magawa niya nang tama ang hinihingi mo,'" Lamangan recalled Aunor telling him. "Naniniwala si Ate Guy sa kakayahan ng bawat isa."

Acting prowess

Lee described Aunor as a "rebelde" who consistently shattered expectations as a Filipino actor. "Sa loob ng pitong dekada ay nilabanan niya ang status quo," he said. "Binago niya ang kolonyal na pagtinging nagsasabing mga mapuputi lang at matatangkad ang maganda sa puting tabing."

He also underscored Aunor's portrayal of different women in society, deeming them brave and genuine.

"Naging madre siya, bilanggo, lesbian, NPA, OFW, kabit, anak na naging kaagaw ng ina sa pag-ibig, alalay, atsay, at kontrabida, Muslim, Igorota, Binokot, may dementia, mamamatay-tao," Lee said.

Aunor also portrayed protagonists who died in the end, which Lee said was difficult to accept at the time.

"Marami siyang binasag at binago ang paniniwala. Ipinakita niyang mahalaga ang nararamdaman ng mga taong nasa gilid ng lipunan," he said. "Nilagyan nya ng hugis ang ating mga damdamin at binigyan nya ng direksiyon ang ating mga aspirasyon. Binigyan din niya tayo ng pag-asa at tinuruang pwede tayong lumaban upang matupad ang ating mga pangarap. Ipinakita niya sa atin ang kapangyarihang hindi natin akalaing mayroon pala ang ordinaryong tao. Ginawa niyang totoo ang ibig sabihin ng sining."

Lamangan, meanwhile, commended Aunor's acting skills. During one shooting day, he recalled Bernal being strict on the scene's direction as it was already late. He specifically wanted Aunor to shed a tear in her left eye as she arrived at a certain area, and that everything must be done in one take.

"Pagbaba ng crane doon sa guhit kung nasaan si Ate Guy, pagdating doon, lumuha siya. Sa kaliwa nga. Doon ako naging Noranian. Napakahusay," he said.

But Lamangan also recalled Aunor's infamy for being late on set.

When he was directing her, he recalled reminding her of the 6 a.m. call time, with a grace period of one hour.

"Pagdating sa set, Diyos ko, alas dose na, wala pa siya," he said.

Lamangan recalled another incident in which Aunor was supposed to film a crucial scene with a large crowd, but everybody couldn't proceed with her absent. As he called her to ask where she was, she tried to call in sick, but he "threatened" her to pay P1.5 million for the time lost.

"In 30 minutes, nandoon na siya," he said, much to everybody's laughter.

"Si Ate Guy ay tao. Mayroon ding mga kahinaan si Ate Guy. Siya ay isang taong may damdamin. Mahal natin si Ate Guy," he added.

Media executive Charo Santos-Concio, for her part, took pride in being a self-confessed "die-hard Noranian."

She noted how Aunor popularized the so-called "mata-mata acting" even before it was a term. "Mata pa lang, patay ka na."

As the producer of Himala, she noted how Aunor did not act but rather "transformed" on set.

"Nakita ko kung paanong ang katahimikan niya ay mas malakas pa sa sigaw," she said. "Walang camera tricks, walang mabigat na musical scoring, walang kaartehan. Pero nung pumasok na ang eksena, iyan na. Ibang Nora na. Ang gumaganap kay Nora ay hindi mukha o katawan, kundi ang kaluluwa."

Concio also noted how Aunor's creative process cannot be explained by technique alone.

"She is raw. She is real. She is authentic. She doesn’t act. She becomes. She transforms," Concio said. "Hindi lang siya artista; siya ay alagad ng sining. May lalim, may tapang, may puso. It was part of her process, her magic, her madness."

"But within that madness, there was genius," she added. "And when she is in her element, when the camera starts rolling, she is unstoppable."

Aunor's legacy

Concio, who hailed from Calapan in Oriental Mindoro, noted how she saw herself in Aunor as a fellow "probinsyana."

She admired how Aunor, who sold nuts and water by the railroad tracks as a child, defied the odds through her talents—and how Aunor portrayed characters like Elsa, Corazon, Delia, and Flor Contemplacion with much authenticity.

"But Nora Aunor was even bigger than all her roles," Concio said. "Higit pa sa mga karakter na kanyang binigyan ng buhay, binigyan niya ng buhay ang pangarap ng milyon-milyong Pilipino."

"Kahit saang probinsiya ka man manggaling, anumang hirap mo, Nora gave millions of Filipinos the most important gift: hope. Pag-asa. Kung kaya ni Ate Guy, kaya ko rin. Kabilang ako sa mga Pilipino na nakita ang sarili nila kay Nora."

Lamangan believes Aunor will serve as a symbol of the arts in the years to come. "Mahal ni Nora Aunor ang pelikula," he said as he reminded everyone of the importance of film. "Hindi dapat tignan ang pelikula na isang maliit na bagay lamang. Ito'y malaking bagay dahil ito'y potent medium na naiintindihan ng ordinaryong tao. Ito ang pinaglalaban ni Nora Aunor."

"Minsan lang mangyayari ang isang Nora Aunor," Lee noted. "Pero 'di pa tapos ang kwento mo, nagsisimula pa lang. Ang pangalan mo ay pangalang sasambitin namin lagi nang walang pagod sa mga susunod pang henerasyon upang hindi nila makalimutan kailanman na minsan sa isang ginintuang panahon ay may isang bituing walang kupas na nagniningning sa kalangitan ng ating mga buhay."

Concio pointed out that Aunor, despite reaching high status, had no attachment to glamour, fame, or wealth. She reiterated Aunor's status as a Superstar, on top of being an empowered woman, a wife, a mother, a lover, an actress, a complicated person, a genius, and a National Artist.

"She was a legend while she lived," Concio said. "She will be immortal after she died."

Aunor, born Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, died on April 16 at 71 years old.

Malacañang, through Proclamation No. 870, declared April 22 a day of national mourning over Aunor's passing. The city government of Manila also flew all of the city's flags at half-mast for Aunor.

Aunor was first discovered after winning Tawag ng Tanghalan. She would appear in minor film roles and record several singles.

In 1975, she became the main host of the musical variety show Superstar until 1989. It was the longest-running musical variety show on Philippine television until ASAP broke the record in 2018.

Later on, Aunor would showcase her acting prowess, most prominently in titles like Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976), Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo (1976), Himala (1982), Bulaklak sa City Jail (1984), The Flor Contemplacion Story (1995), and Thy Womb (2012).

During her five-decade career in acting, Aunor got over 200 acting nominations and awards here and elsewhere, the most for an actor in the Philippines. She was nominated at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences or FAMAS Awards a record 17 times. She was also bestowed the Gawad CCP for Film and Broadcast Arts by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2015. Her acting prowess was also recognized abroad, including in Africa, Europe, Australia, and North America, while her singing talent bagged her several Awit Awards and Philippine Recording Distributors Association Awards.

She was named National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022.

Aunor was married to veteran actor Christopher De Leon. They have one biological child, Ian, and four adopted children: Lotlot De Leon, Matet De Leon, Kiko, and Kenneth. Their marriage was dissolved in 1996.