Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most deserving National Artist of them all?

  
Nora Aunor stirs a controversial topic yet again, amazingly without her own effort. Just the mention of her name awakens the brilliant and the shallow minds. A lawmaker filed a house resolution urging the President, CCP and NCCA to confer on her the National Artist award. Great! As a Nora Aunor believer, I was ecstatic to hear the news. Thankful too for the independent and unbiased recommendation. After all, I never heard nor read Rep. Anthony Golez rave about Nora Aunor before. For him to stood ground and acknowledged Nora Aunor's immense contributions on Philippine Arts, I wholeheartedly appreciate that.

Then happy news turned sour. It's politics, what can I say? Another lawmaker followed suit and urged to name Vilma Santos as National Artist as well. Vilma Santos' senator husband also personally endorsed his wife. Unbelievable! Have we got any more decency left in the Senate? Celebrity lawmakers who don't know any better about the magnitude of this award threw their 2 cents worth to include more artists in the list. Mr. Dolphy should get the award first, they clamored. By virtue of seniority? Oh please! Give the man due respect. Enough of the paawa epek. Dolphy will most certainly not appreciate that. He has valuable contribution to Philippine entertainment, nominate him for his own merit and not his age, for bloody goodness' sake! Why only now express support for him when there are many opportunities  to do that many years in the past? Is it because he is now older or because better it's him or any one else huwag lang si Nora Aunor? Truth to tell, Nora Aunor already surpassed the qualifications for this award (Care to read the criteria, you great pretenders?) Nora earned it many years before too but people who are quick to make judgment as if they themselves are holy always attack and discredit her accomplishments on personal grounds. Previous National Artists are no Saints either so why pick on Nora Aunor? Mind boggling and utterly disgusting! I say Holy crap!

What is happening now is a diversion from the true essence of the award which is an injustice. The National Artist award is not like a queue for a government agency service where there maybe preferential treatment for the elderly, jumping on the queue if you have the right inside connection or tagging along in the queue with someone who did all the hard work to be next in line and has the appropriate documentation to get through the line, fair and square.

The National Artist title is very prestigious. Good enough artists are not good enough for it. No one should get it by vote of popularity, by seniority, by seemingly nice image or just because you are a rival of someone who you know is most deserving than anyone. Only extraordinary and legendary artists deserve the title.

These are the guidelines (in summary). Enough of politics! Let objectivity rule! May the most deserving National Artist receive the award. So help us God..

1) Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country;
Cultural icon. Nora Aunor Rating: *****

2) Filipino artistic accomplishment at its highest level and to promote creative expression as significant to the development of a national cultural identity; and
Multi-awarded singer and actress, acclaimed films of true Filipino genre. Nora Aunor Rating: *****

3) Filipino artists who have dedicated their lives to their works to forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists.
Trend-setter.. risk taker. A world-class artist. Nora Aunor Rating: *****

My National Artist

(Reposting a previous article - written and posted October 2009)

Film

It was 1972. Back then as a 9-year old, I couldn’t care less. I watched Nora Aunor movies with my Lola and whether Nora was playing cutesy or serious roles, I enjoyed them regardless. I remember watching And God Smiled at Me that year. It must be fate. The year that Nora Aunor embarked on a serious dramatic role and won her first acting award was the same year that the National Artist award was created.

In the following year, Nora Aunor was not just the singer and the actress but also the movie producer. Her own NV Productions made three movies: Carmela, Paru-parong Itim and Super Gee. She was 20 years old. Her contemporaries did not have the same mindset (and talent). So young (so ambitious?) but already dead serious as to what she wanted to become. Very early on, she realized that for her to grow as an artist, she had to be in control. As well, her audience deserved much better films.

So in between those light “audience-friendly” movie projects, risky attempts for non-musical, more dramatic, quality-made films would emerge. Eventually, her audience acknowledged her refined acting talent. I did too. Nora learned to make better films, I learned to appreciate them. She is a Filipino, with typical Filipino looks and she portrays Filipino. When I watch her, I embrace and understand Filipino. Banaue, Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo and Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos, I watched these films intensely. I was quiet the whole time, afraid to blink even for a second as not to miss an arresting acting moment performed through perfect dialog delivery, minimal gestures, simple body movements, facial expression and those round eyes that speak a thousand words. Then came Bona and Himala. Even foreign audience took notice and they were in awe. There was no doubt in the world what Nora Aunor is capable of.

Nora did not just get better at acting. She showed mastery of the craft. When most popular actors were used to physical and “loud” acting, Nora did the opposite. In-depth “silent” acting became her signature style, the type that only a few artists can pull off with utmost credibility. When Nora did it, it looked natural and effortless and yet, totally affecting. One doesn’t see Nora Aunor in her films, you see her character instead and at times … you see a piece of your own self.

Music

Nora was first and foremost a singer. After all, that’s where everything started. I grew up hearing Nora’s old songs but only later when I got to really listen to them. Perhaps back then I was not paying much attention to her early ballads. As a child, the catchy familiar tunes of Pearly Shells, Kusinera, Darling etc. amused me more. It was not difficult to sing along with these songs too.

Week after week and almost two decades of viewing the Superstar show got me hooked to Nora’s singing. In her show, I have listened and watched Nora interpret varied songs. Kundiman and Pinoy folk (in both Pilipino and regional dialects), English, pop, Manila sound, jazzy, novelty, her own movie theme songs, even rock … you name it, she sung it. Of course singing ballads had to be where she excelled the most. She would sing them all from the heart. I remember listening to her “Kapantay ay Langit” version which haunted me for days. I watched her sing “What Now My Love?” in one of the film award ceremonies and I was floored. It was an electrically charged performance, hair-raising to say the least. Never seen and experienced anything like that before.

Nora’s golden unique voice is a given but it didn’t just rest there. She used her voice to touch people’s hearts. She does not just sing the song, she performs it. Much like her acting, her singing would bring out the right emotion that stays with you long after the music has ended. It is just good natured, pure, beautiful music. She does not even have to reach a single high note.

Years had passed. The raw and pure voice has matured, huskier but more full bodied. With age and experience, the song interpretation only gets better. But old songs still take a grasp, portal of sweet memories, not to let go and always … will be remembered.

The Artist

Pioneering and excellent acting skill, heartfelt and soothing music, extraordinary talent which is highly regarded by peers and critics, impressive and unparalleled body of work, local and international awards and recognitions, but most of all, an artist and artistry that created a deep-seated impact on the film and music industry, on Philippine culture and the Philippines, as a whole. With all these sparkling achievements and qualifications, pardon me if I have to ask: Are these not enough for someone to be named National Artist? Or could it be that she has overly exceeded the set criteria? By the way, she was also a record-breaking concert performer and a standout theatre actor, a complete multimedia artist.

More controversies hound the National Artist choices this year and Nora Aunor missed out again. Many have expressed despair and disappointment about the alleged undeserving winners and mistrust of the deliberation and selection process. Sadly though, people in the know refused to listen and to continue with the argument seems a lost cause. In any case, it was heartwarming to know that when a more deserving winner is mentioned by the disgruntled (but nonetheless) respectable artists and writers, the name Nora Aunor would always make the first cut. Not that there is a need for any more revalidation or proof. No sitting on the fence for me when it comes to Nora’s talent and artistry. No ifs and buts … just true excellence!

I doubt it that the Office of the President has watched many films and listened to a variety of music, yet it has the ultimate power to confer a National Artist for Film and Music. I am no President. I am just an ordinary citizen and definitely not an art connoisseur. But I watch good films and listen to beautiful music and I’d like to say that my own journey of appreciation for film and music was greatly influenced by one artist. That artist is Nora Aunor, my National Artist.

I will wait patiently for the official conferment of her National Artist award but if this does not happen in her lifetime or mine, it barely matters as I have long considered it DONE anyway.

In the truest sense of the title, Nora Aunor is already one National Artist.

Nora Aunor (NA) is National Artist (NA). The acronym suits perfectly.

N.B. For 42 years, you have given us a legacy of films and music that will not be forgotten. Thank you, Ms. Nora Aunor.

(written and posted October 2009)