Manila: Malaca±ang confirmed on Sunday that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally shouldered the hospital bills of the late National Artist for Film Nora Aunor.
According to Philippines News Agency, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Senior Undersecretary Ana Puod stated that it was Marcos and the Office of the President, not the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), that settled Aunor's hospital bill. Puod mentioned that the breakdown and the amount provided by the President would not be disclosed.
Aunor, born Nora Villamayor, passed away on April 16 at the age of 71 due to acute respiratory failure following an angioplasty. Known as the 'Superstar' of Philippine cinema, Aunor starred in 170 films and earned numerous awards and recognitions from local and international organizations.
She was inducted into the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Film Academy of the Philippines Lifetime Achievement Award the following year. In 2022, she was named National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts.
Aunor, along with renowned singer Pilita Corrales, cinema icon Gloria Romero, and internationally acclaimed chef and restaurateur Margarita Fores, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit at Malaca±ang Palace in Manila on May 4.