MANILA - As the announcement for the list of nominees for the National Artist award nears, rumors about early favorites and deserving candidates started catching fire.
Speculation as to veteran actress Nora Aunor's nomination surfaced Tuesday when the Facebook page, "Nora Aunor for National Artist: The Real Journey Begins Here," posted the supposed list of nominees submitted by the joint boards of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
In an interview with ABS-CBN's Mario Dumual at the premiere night of the horror film "Sapi" on Tuesday, Aunor, however, quickly dismissed the rumors about her nomination.
"Huwag muna po kasi hindi naman natin alam eh," she said.
The supposed list included Aunor, who is dubbed Philippine cinema's "Superstar, under the category Film and Broadcast Arts.
Jose Ma. Zaragoza (Architecture), Cirilo Bautista (Literature), Alice Reyes (Dance), Francisco Coching (Visual Arts), Francisco Feliciano (Music) were also named as candidates.
Asked for her message to fans who continue to push for her nomination as National Artist, Aunor said, "Sa lahat ng mga tumutulong at nakikipaglaban pa rin, maraming salamat sa kanilang lahat."
Last year, Bacolod Representative Anthony Golez Jr. filed House Resolution 2317 seeking to name Aunor, whose real name is Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, as National Artist.
In the same interview, the 60-year old actress also revealed that she will be working with multi-awarded director, Jun Robles Lana for her upcoming film, "Dementia."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
