The outpouring of tributes for the Superstar has not waned, even after she was finally laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on April 22, following a very touching state funeral at the Metropolitan Theater. 

Nora Cabaltera Villamayor—her birth name—passed away on April 16 due to acute respiratory failure. She would've turned 71 on May 21 and would've celebrated her birth anniversary in Iriga City in Camarines Sur where her journey towards superstardom and as an ultimate artist began. 

Nora Aunor, the Superstar | Photo: Janine Gutierrez on Instagram 

Ate Guy, her moniker, would've enjoyed her favorite local dishes in a confidant's home where she truly felt at ease as an ordinary citizen, and with none of the larger-than-life persona of a star who has accomplished a lot in the world of Philippine cinema

But that's the Ate Guy already known by her family, peers, fans, and even ex-lovers. A self-effacing woman with kindness and sincerity brimming in her heart. The same warm nature felt by filmmaker Kristian Sendon Cordero who directed her in the 2016 film, "Hinulid (The Sorrows of Sita)."

Nora Aunor starred in the 2022 film Hinulid as a grieving mother who returns to her hometown in Camarines Sur | Photo: Hinulid official page on Facebook

When they were shooting in Iriga, Cordero recalled that Ate Guy would go to his house where his mother, Ofelia, would prepare meals for her. The multi-awarded actress wasn't too keen about dining in hotels in the area and was craving for home-cooked meals instead. So, Cordero brought her to his ancestral home in Iriga.

"Too many times," Cordero replied on the number of shared meals he shared with Aunor, especially during the time when they were shooting "Hinulid." "She would come to the house and Mama would prepare food for her and the rest of our crew and team. And she herself would cook every time she would get the chance. Mahilig magluto yan si Guy. (Guy loves to cook)."

Apparently, Aunor was also a super cook who enjoyed preparing dishes such as the spicy pork dish Bicol Express, the way it was made in her hometown Iriga. Cordera said he had enjoyed Ate Guy's version of the dish in her Quezon City home.

Another favorite was a stewed fish dish that she would often request from Cordero's mom. "Iriga is known for it unique flavors and certain peculiar way of cooking dishes like Bicol Express. But ang pinakagustong i-request niya lagi kay Mama ay ang Cocidong Isura (but her most requested dish to Mama was Cocidong Isura)," he said.

ON THE SET. Nora Aunor and Cordero in Daruanak Islet in Pasacao, Camarines Sur during the filming of 'Hinulid' in 2016 | Photo courtesy of Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema 

"Cocido," in Rinconada, means "stew" and "isura" means "fish."  Rinconada is one of the macrolanguages spoken in the Bicol region, specifically in the Rinconada District of Camarines Sur. 

"Cocidong Isura has ingredients such as carpa, limon, and vegetables. Para siyang sinigang pero hindi kasing asim. Yung limon, hint lang. Napaka-subtle ng asim (Its like sinigang but not as sour. The limon is just a hint. Just a subtle hint of sourness)," he explained.  

Carpa is the common carp often mistaken for tilapia but, actually, the two don't belong to the same fish family. Carpa is believed to be healthier, fattier, with more Omega-3 fatty acids than tilapia. Both thrive in freshwater. Limon, on the other hand, is calamansi, also known as Philippine lime, which is one of the main agricultural products in the area.

"Bicol Express the way we know it and Cocidong Isura with patis as sawsawan, solved na yan si Guy," said Cordero. "But she eats very little, ha, especially pag nasa shoot. And then she shared the food that the crew ate. All these legendary tales about her kindness and humility are true. She said, kung anong kinakain ng crew, yun din ang kakainin niya. That's her way of saying pantay pantay tayo dito. Gusto niya na kung anong pagkain niya, yun din ang pagkain ng mga kasamahan niya. Ayaw niya ng special treatment."

In the Cordero household, Aunor would take delight watching Mama Ofelia cook in the kitchen. The actress wasn't intrusive, said the filmmaker, "She respected domain."

But her sense of ease was palpable through the happy banter that she would have with her hosts. Mama Ofelia and Kristian, and her co-workers. 

"Her mind is busy, always thinking of a lot of things. But when she's served her comfort foods, Cocidong Isura and Bicol Express, that was it. Happy na siya," Cordero added.

Besides the two dishes, Aunor also enjoyed laing, but done according to the standards of Rinconada cuisine. 

"We have distinct ways of cooking. For instance, when cooking with gata (coconut cream), we have a term called inubasan, which is a reference to the tides. So, yung cooking na yun ay ubas or low tide. Ibig sabihin, hindi mo nakikita yung gata (So, that kind of cooking is ubas, or low tide. Meaning, you don't see the coconut cream). The gata already simmered into the dried gabi leaves and the pork. You don't see any gata as a sauce."

Cordero compared the slow-cooked pork dish to the actor's depth of character, "In a way, the Rinconada laing can be likened to Nora. Nasa loob, hindi sa labas, yung linamnam niya. (Her true delight is within, not outside). You don't see it, but you feel it, you taste it. There is a subtle way about the way we cook in Iriga and also about her self."

TRUE FRIEND. Always finding the time to be with people who mattered to her, Ate Guy traveled all the way from Manila to join filmmaker Kristian Cordero and the film team during their Christmas Party in Naga in 2018 | Photo courtesy of Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema

Another local dish that the National Artist enjoyed is Mariguso na may Tiga or ampalaya sautéed with aromatics like garlic, onions, tomatoes, and eggs, added with the briny but rich taste of fish eggs (tiga) from native carpa. 

Cordero said that his Mama Ofelia would also make pinuyos that she would send to Aunor's house in Quezon City. From her home in Iriga, Cordero's mother would send the glutinous rice delicacy through a driver.

 "When I'm in Manila, I'll meet the driver from Bicol and personally bring the bunch of pinuyos to Nora's house," said Cordero. 

Pinuyos is glutinous rice cooked with coconut cream. These are wrapped with banana leaves that are formed and tied like pouches Considered as a suman, pinuyos is challenging to handle because the coconut cream may spoil easily. But seasoned cooks from Iriga, like Mama Ofelia, have a technique of cooking pinuyos so it could be good to go for long trips. 

"Guy can eat three pieces of pinuyos in one sitting. Tapos, si Guy, pag kakain niyan, pipikit pikit pa to express her delight. It's her food (Then, when Guy eats them, she closes her eyes to express her delight. It's her food)," he said.

Pinuyos | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Enterprising young Nora

Cordero has many heartwarming memories of his beloved friend, including the time when the actress would go to his house and have her haircut done there rather than in a salon to avoid public attention.

"The name Guy is actually a term of endearment in Iriga," Cordero said, "It's like calling someone 'pare' or friend. It applies even to female friends. And Guy was really like that to everyone, she was a kind soul."

He also recalled the time when Nora, who was famous for her expressive eyes and who always visited the image of St. Therese of Lisieux at the parish in Iriga, revealed, "She told me once, 'Alam mo ba, sa mata ng Sta. Teresa ako pinaglihi?'"

Aunor always had a child-like and playful awe that has endeared her to her co-workers. There is a photo of Aunor enjoying a piggyback ride from her director. "(The photo) was taken during the shooting of 'Hinulid,' her first and only film in our common mother tongue, Bikol Rinconada, sometime in 2016 at the  Colgante Bridge in Sampaloc, Gainza, Camarines Sur. 

PLAYFUL MOMENT: Photo from 2016 during the filming of Hinulid at Colgante Bridge in Gainza, Camarines Sur. Joking about the narrow bridge, Ate Guy told director Kristian Cordero to carry her — which he did, quipping that they were reenacting Pasan Ko ang Daigdig | Photo courtesy of Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema

"Madalas yang ganyan sa set. Mapagbiro. Sabi nya buhatin ko siya dahil di kami kasya sa tulay. I obliged and syempre pinatawa ko. Sabi ko, akala ko pelikula mo ito, 'Pasan Ko Ang Daigdig' pala ang drama natin, parang Sharon lang.'"

("She would always be like that on the set. She asked me to carry her because the bridge was too narrow and we couldn't fit in it. I obliged and, of course, I made her laugh. I said, I thought this was your movie. 'Pasan Ko ang Daigdig' is what we're doing after all, like Sharon's film.") 

Besides the sensual joy and satisfaction of eating familiar dishes, the shared meals also became a way for the multi-awarded actress to step into a space where she can let her guard down and reminisce on bygone days when she was just a young girl selling bottled water at the PNR station of Iriga. 

Cordero said that in her conversations with Aunor, the image of the diminutive girl selling drinks to eke out a living for her poor family was something that the actress wanted to dispel from the public. 

He recalled, "I have so many fond memories of Ate Guy talking about her childhood in Iriga. At one point, she said, 'We were not that poor. My parents were really hard-working,' you know. The poverty came into the picture when she had to go to Manila and got that Cinderella narrative. Pero hindi sila yung isang kahig, isang tuka.  Maraming drama lang doon, the struggle. The middle-class struggle."

On the young Aunor as an ambulant vendor selling cold water on the train tracks, Cordero replied, "What's wrong with that? Guy was an entrepreneur who just wanted to contribute something to the table," he said.

"Ang kuwento niya sa akin, and I didn't realize it until she told me—I thought the cold water was in a plastic wrapper or ice tubig—that the water were in botelyas (bottles). So, Guy had small siblings and she would carry most of the bottles, about five bottles. And then they would come back for more. Or, they would return the used bottles to be washed, cleaned, and recycled afterwards," he continued.

"Parang katuwaan ng mga bata noong araw and that became part of her narrative. (It was like a game among the children during that period and that became part of her narrative)," Cordero added.

Aunor was never one to comment on the food served her, perhaps except in the company of people who were really close to her. "Ah, since she's a good cook she knows how the dishes should taste. Like, she would say, for instance, that a dish needed more spiciness," said Cordero, "But really, she never complained about her food especially during film shoots. Whatever's served her, she really appreciated it."

Generous heart

The Superstar, though a hearty eater, didn't have a sweet tooth. Asked if Cordero would serve dessert to her when she dined in his home, the film director recalled, "Ay, no. She abhorred it of all things. Walang hilig sa matamis si Guy.  

"Although during shoots, mahilig yan magpabili ng turon at saka ice cream. May picture yan na kumakain ng ice cream sa shoot. Binilihan lahat ng mga bata sa amin para wag silang mag-ingay dahil she was shooting. I think pag kumain ng matamis si Guy, it's really a sign that she's happy."

Nora Aunor enjoys 'dirty' ice cream or street ice cream during a break while filming 'Hinulid' in Iriga. Aside from ice cream, she would also often request for turon | Photo courtesy of Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema 

"Hinulid (The Sorrows of Sita)," a 2016 film written and directed by Cordero, tells the story of a woman mourning her son's death. The woman returns to the village of Kabbunga in the Bicol region traveling through the old PNR train while she carries her son's ashes. The film is shot in Bikol-Naga and Rinconada languages with English subtitles. 

"Hinulid" has been critically acclaimed for Aunor's compelling acting, Cordero's poetic narrative, clear sound design, and enthralling imagery. 

Besides filmmaking, Cordero also runs a popular book shop in Naga called Savage Minds. Aunor was a regular visitor of the book shop. Before her demise, Cordero and Aunor were set to make another film project and a book based on a concept by the National Artist. 

Grieving and pained by her passing away, Cordero only has good words for Aunor. 

"I still don't know what to say. We continuously kept in touch and maintained our friendship, Malambing yan sa akin. Nag usap pa kami bago ako umalis papuntang Roma. She was having a hard time with her health. In our conversation a few days before she passed away, she confided many things to me. 

Like the other peers and friends of the National Artist who believed she had a special place in Philippine society and the Filipino people, he surmised, "We're too close to the time of Nora. Ginawa siya ng kanyang panahon, ginawa siya ng kanyang historical circumstances.

"She sent me a text message days before her passing away and when I read it, I realized the privilege I was given. Magkapatid kami. We talked about a lot of things, even love life. I saw a photograph of her in an antique shop, which I wanted to send her. She was excited to go home in May to celebrate her birthday here in Bicol. 'Sige,' I told her, 'para ma-identify mo itong mga pictures.;"

The timing of her death, believed Cordero, was by itself an enigmatic circumstance. "She had that magic of leaving at the time of Holy Week. Everything seemed suspended when she passed away. It's like we're left in the set of 'Himala.' Nora was able to spark a path that is illumined by her absence. An absence that is also her presence."