PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared April 22, 2025 as the Day of National Mourning for the passing of National Artist Nora Aunor.
Marcos signed Proclamation 870 on April 21, recognizing Aunor's works in the field of film and broadcast arts.
He said Aunor’s passing is a great loss to the Filipino people and to the nation’s cultural and artistic community.
“Her outstanding contribution to Philippine cinema, television and music has left a lasting legacy on the nation’s collective memory and identity,” the proclamation stated.
“Her artistry, depth and dedication as a performer elevated the standard of excellence in the fields of arts and culture and inspired generations of actors, filmmakers and audiences both on the local and international stage,” it added.
Due to this declaration, the national flag shall be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset, on all government buildings and installations throughout the Philippines and abroad on April 22, 2025.
The first couple visited the wake of Aunor at the Heritage Park in Taguig City.
She was laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Tuesday, April 22.
Aunor, who was tagged as the “Superstar,” acted in at least 170 films, receiving numerous local and foreign awards for her performances.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) said that among Aunor’s awards and citations were the Best Actress for “And God Smiled at Me” (1972) and Best Actress for Gawad Urian and Famas for “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos” (1976).
In 1990, Aunor garnered a grand slam by winning all the Best Actress awards from Urian, Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (Famas), Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Metro Manila Film Festival, and Philippine Movie Press Club for her acting prowess in Gil Portes’ “Andrea, Paano ba ang Maging Isang Ina?”
Aunor was elevated to the Famas Hall of Fame in 1992.
She was also bestowed the FAP Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993; named by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) as one of the 100 Filipinos who made significant contributions to culture and the arts in the 20th century; given the Centennial Honors for the Arts by the CCP; emerged as Best Actress in 6th Asia Pacific Screen Award in 2012 and became the first Filipino actor to be inducted as a member of Asia-Pacific Screen Academy; and again won Best Actress at the 7th Asian Film Awards the following year. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)