Revisit Nora Aunor's first teleserye—the Kapamilya musical drama “Bituin”

Born on May 21, 1953, in a small barrio in Iriga, Camarines Sur, Nora Aunor grew up in humble beginnings. One of ten children, she and her family lived in a modest nipa hut, with their daily life shaped by simplicity and struggle. To help her parents, Eustaquio and Antonia, young Nora would sell water by the train tracks.

Before she would one day become the “Superstar" and an icon of Philippine cinema, music was her first calling. At just 12 years old, she entered and won singing competitions in her hometown, including the Darigold Jamboree and The Liberty Big Show. She considered singing a way to help her family’s survival.

She eventually joined the televised singing contest "Tawag ng Tanghalan" twice. She lost on her first try, but it didn’t stop her. In 1967, 14-year-old Nora returned and took home the grand prize. What followed was a string of hit records that became favorites across Filipino households, including her renditions of songs like “Pearly Shells” and “Tiny Bubbles."

Nora's musical legacy still finds its way into people’s playlists even in today's digital age. On Spotify alone, her account draws in around 44,000 monthly listeners, and has over 36,000 followers.

Interestingly, her very first appearance on the big screen was in a musical film. She landed a minor role in "All Over the World," a Sampaguita Pictures production headlined by Eddie Garcia and Josephine Estrada in 1967.

At the height of her loveteam with Tirso Cruz III, they also headlined a number of musical films. Titles like "D’ Musical Teenage Idols," "Fiesta Extravaganza," and "Teenage Escapades" had all fans of 'Guy and Pip' (as the tandem was called) swooning and singing along.

After hundreds of masterpieces on the big screen, Nora had the chance to showcase her musical brilliance in the ABS-CBN production "Bituin," her first full-length television drama series, which aired from September 2002 to May 2003. As we pay tribute to the one and only superstar, let’s look back on the radiant and emotionally charged story she brought to life in the teleserye.

She portrayed Laura Sandoval, the biological mother of Melody Sandoval (Carol Banawa) and Bernadette Gaston (Desiree del Valle) and the rival of Carmela Gaston, played by the equally iconic Cherie Gil.

In the story, Laura and Carmela were revealed to be half-sisters, raised under the same roof but treated very differently. Laura, the illegitimate daughter, endured years of mistreatment from Carmela’s mother, Doña Virginia (Celia Rodriguez).

As adults, Laura married Ador (Michael de Mesa), a singer working abroad. For a while, life seemed hopeful until everything crumbled. After the birth of their second child, Laura received a heartbreaking letter from Ador all the way from Japan. He confessed to having an affair and made the devastating decision to abandon his family in the Philippines for another woman.

Suddenly a single mother to two young daughters, Melody and Bernadette, Laura struggled to make ends meet. Her only ally through the hardships was her loyal friend Diony (GardoVerzosa). Things took a turn for the worse when Melody was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. Desperate and with nowhere else to turn, Laura swallowed her pride and asked Carmela for help.

Carmela, in a rare act of apparent kindness, agreed to finance Melody’s treatment. But Diony warned Laura to be cautious, as Carmela's generosity seemed suspicious. True enough, Carmela used the opportunity to manipulate Laura into handing over Bernadette for adoption. When Laura resisted, Carmela coldly threatened to stop paying for Melody’s treatment. Trapped and desperate to save the ailing Melody, Laura was forced to give up Bernadette.

What Laura didn’t expect was that Carmela would soon flee the country and raise Bernadette in the United States, leaving her grieving not just the betrayal, but the absence of the daughter she was blackmailed into losing. It was one of “Bituin’s” most gripping moments, and Nora’s aching performance deepened the scene's emotional weight.

Because of everything she had gone through, Laura’s heart grew heavy with bitterness. The deep longing for her lost child hardened her. She became distant and cold, even to her remaining daughter, Melody, who grew up with a clear passion and talent for singing. Laura refused to support Melody's dreams. As a former singer herself, music once brought Laura joy, but had become a painful reminder of her past. Laura stopped Melody from singing even when the child only sang to help them survive.

Carmela soon returned to the country as a celebrated singer. Wanting nothing more than to make her mother smile, Melody saved up every peso she earned from working at the school canteen and selling sampaguita on the streets to buy a concert ticket for Laura, knowing how much her mother wanted it. And that was the night Laura finally laid eyes on the child she was forced to give up six years ago.

Bernadette and Melody grew up unaware that they were sisters, just as the papers Laura had signed years ago dictated—she couldn’t tell the children the truth. Bound by the promise she made, Laura resigned herself to the role of an aunt to Bernadette.

Just like her sister Melody, Bernadette also tried to step into the music scene, but unlike Melody, she did not inherit the musical gift of their mother, Laura.

Influenced by her mother Carmela and grandmother Doña Virginia’s manipulation, Bernadette was forced to use a recording of Melody’s voice, claiming it as her own. This deceit propelled her to fame, and Bernadette soon found herself loving the stardom. She learned to enjoy the adoration and attention that came from lip-syncing to Melody's voice.

But soon, a golden opportunity arrived for Melody, leading her to pursue a career in music as well. As fate would have it, Laura's daughters became rivals in the same industry.

Laura’s life wasn’t easy. She faced a series of challenges, such as when Doña Virginia seized the property that her father had left her. Carmela and Doña Virginia also went as far as to accuse her of kidnapping Bernadette, a false narrative they spun to imprison her. In one scene in jail, Nora delighted audiences with her rendition of "Sana Ngayong Pasko."

But in the end, love and forgiveness prevailed. After all the pain, betrayal and years lost, Laura and Ador found their way back to each other. Melody and Bernadette chose sisterhood over resentment, and so did Laura and Carmela.

In the finale episode, Nora sang the show's theme song, "Langit Na Bituin" on stage.

In every role she played and every note she sang, Nora, a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, built a legacy that will live on far beyond the final curtain. Her voice will never be forgotten.