The Fate of the Nora wannabe

The only superstar Nora Aunor is reportedly living in a dingy apartment somewhere in the United States. After having been charged with drug possession, the Filipina superstar is allegedly living off thru the kindness of friends and die-hard fans. What happened?

Nora, they say, has lost her luster as a star because of her own doing. Nora amassed so much wealth during her heyday that showbiz people emulated her. I think bad luck began when she (1) associated herself with known personalities addicted to substances and (b) when she dipped her fingers in the murky political pond. During the Erap administration, Nora was perceived to be very close to the disgraced leader and was disgraced herself by both pro-Erap and anti-Erap forces.

Now, Nora is out of the entertainment business and enjoying little or no love from the people who once loved her exceedingly. The younger generation does'nt know her and she, like the kundiman stars of old, risk obliteration from the pages of history.

Such is the fate of stars, whose luster brightens the night skies one night and fade the next.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (there's a very good commentary by Abe Margallo in his site, the redherring. Check it out!), like Nora, seems to have suffered the same fate. She's president alright but enjoys the reputation of being the most unpopular among them. EDSA two thrust her into national prominence and acclaim but in the end, crucified her as one of the traitors of the Cause. (What Cause is it, I really don't know. The cause of the elite?)

Her luck started to ran out when Gloria (a) associated herself with big-time operators her husband brought to her administration, a corrupt gang of misfits and loafers and influence peddlers whose leeching powers are beyond satisfaction and (b) when she reportedly dipped her fingers into lucrative deals such as the ZTE deal, Northrail and even orchestrated the infamous Hello Garci operations.

Now, two years from now, Gloria will be out of the political scene with the prospect of being the most villified, the most hated and the most condemned Philippine political leader of all time. (Or if FVR is to be believed, someone will finish her term and she'll enjoy no immunity from the law).

Gloria, like Nora, will suffer the same fate. She'll be in the company of those whose mouths she fed during her time as president. And what a company that is! God gave her the chance to choose between good and evil, but, like Dinky Soliman said, she chose the dark side. Gloria chose to be in the wrong side of the universe and I think she already thought how she'll live out her last days on earth---with more money than her father, yet having the most infamous tag of all--a traitor, a corruptor and the Cause of the destruction of lives of millions of Filipinos.

This generation and the next will remember Gloria as the one who:

a. Propagated the notion that cheating is okey if it involves getting what you want.(case in point: Hello Garci)
b. Propounded the strategy that silence is best when faced with anomalies.(case in point: ZTE deal)
c. Gave money to the poor to appease them and hide the years of neglecting one's duties as president. (case in point: subsidy plan)
d. Blame others for a crisis which you yourself orchestrated so that you'll get a next shot at governance (case in point: ongoing economic crisis)
e. Punish those who meant meaningful change.

I am a historian and I now know how I will write those pages referring to Gloria's days and here's a probable headline:

"9 years without God" (Siyam na Taong Walang Diyos)

Oh, is this a Nora-Christopher de Leon movie? Weird coincidence, is'nt?