Nora Aunor reveals she 'died' for three minutes
Veteran Filipino actress Nora Aunor famously said "Walang himala!" in the 1982 award-winning movie Himala, but in real life, she said three miracles have happened to her, including regaining her consciousness after dying for three minutes.
In the Feb. 20 episode of GMA's Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the "King of Talk" asked Aunor about miracles that happened in her life.
The first one, she said, was surviving a car accident while filming Himala. She recalled driving in the wrong lane until she collided with another vehicle head-on.
"Iyong salamin sa harapan, natanggal iyon sa sasakyan pero buo. Hindi nabasag," Aunor told Abunda. "Iyong manibela naman, imbes na tamaan ako sa dibdib, lumihis iyon sa akin," adding she hit her head but felt no pain during the accident.
The second miracle in Aunor's life was when she got her voice back after losing it for days following an operation. Before making it big in showbiz, she started off as a singer.
"Paggising ko, sigaw ako nang sigaw, wala akong marinig na boses sa akin," she said.
Becoming voiceless gave Aunor so much anxiety, she said, as it was her bread and butter at the time.
"Iyong buhay ko, papaano na," she said. "Iyon lang din ang inaasahan ng mga tao, na makakakanta ako."
The third and ultimate miracle in Aunor's life, she said, was her three-minute death.
She noted how she's getting sick lately and getting back and forth to the hospital.
In an instance when her oxygen level was dropping, she recalled getting rushed to the hospital and not getting attended to immediately.
"Ang nangyari, humiga ako. Pagkahiga ko, 'di ko na alam ano ang nangyari," she said. "(Tapos) andoon na ako sa ICU."
Upon waking up, her friends told her that maybe God has more plans for her.
"Ang sabi sa akin, 'Mahal ka ng Diyos kasi ibinalik ka ulit. Siguro, iyong misyon mo, hindi pa tapos. Mayroon ka pang dapat gawin sa mundo,'" Aunor recalled.
In June 2022, Aunor was proclaimed National Artist (for Film and Broadcast Arts), the country's highest recognition given to Filipinos who have made significant contributions to Philippine arts.
During her five-decade career in acting, she got over 200 acting nominations and awards here and elsewhere, the most for an actor in the Philippines.
Aunor is staging a showbiz comeback through the upcoming movie Pieta, starring alongside Alfred Vargas and Gina Alajar.