Pubdate: Wed, 06 Apr 2005
Source: Daily Tribune, The (Philippines)
Copyright: 2005 The Tribune Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact:  http://www.tribune.net.ph/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2973
Author: Ninez Cacho-Olivares
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines

SOME ROLE MODEL, NORA AUNOR

She used to love being identified with Nora Aunor, the aging actress
who has had a record of scandals rocking her life.

Yet now, with Nora Aunor, her look-alike, being arrested in the United
States after she was found to have in her possession the banned drug
shabu, Gloria Arroyo now tries to distance herself from the actress,
reacting to reports of Aunor's arrest by saying the problem is being
looked into at the department level, with the office of foreign
affairs providing Aunor with assistance.

The truth is, Aunor should, like another actress before her who was
also caught in possession of drugs in Guam, be meted whatever
punishment the state of California requires - even that of
rehabilition stay as a penalty.

It is hardly any secret that Aunor is into heavy drinking and drugs
even then, but as she identified herself with Gloria before, during
and after the Edsa Il revolt, denouncing Estrada, claiming he had
beaten her up, joining the presidential campaign trail of Gloria in
2004 and even getting paid a fantastic sum for her campaign "services"
with public funds - denied predictably by Gloria and her aides despite
the documentary evidence of the payment to her presented - she wasn't
touched by Gloria and her anti-drug enforcers or police.

This just goes to show just how shallow Gloria's drive against illegal
drugs is, as shallow as all her other campaigns -whether against
jueteng, terrorists, smugglers or anything else.

Nora Aunor's drug addiction, as well as her drinking problem, was
never mentioned, even as Gloria and her aides were aware of this and
so she was tapped to be with Gloria, sing with her, and go on sorties
with her, in an attempt to woo the voters - despite awareness too,
that Aunor has been losing her followers - mainly because of her
turning against Estrada during the Edsa ll revolt.

Proof of this displeasure of Aunor from her fans and supporters came
when she, in 2001, ran for the governorship in Camarines Sur, her
hometown. She lost miserably.

Despite that loss, Gloria continued to tap Aunor while her drug
addiction was still being kept under wraps.

But with her arrest in the US, this can hardly be kept under wraps -
even by the paid movie press.

Still, it makes one wonder: Why did Gloria and her political
lieutenants make her out as a role model when they knew of the many
scandals surrounding her life?

It will be recalled that, during the election campaign, some
opposition figures exposed the copy of a government check covering a
huge amount, made out to Nora Aunor's real name, accusing the Gloria
camp of using public funds for her campaign.

This was quickly denied by the Palace and Gloria's aides, claiming
then that the opposition had added too many zeros to make the payment
appear bigger than it really was, and saying at the same time, the
movie actress-singer was contracted by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development for some social work project, which was again
clearly another lie, as no contract - which is essential before
payment for services, or, for that matter, the original check, or an
official copy of the check to enable one to make comparisons - could
be produced by the Palace.

All this makes one wonder just how much Aunor was paid in cash or kind
by the Gloria camp to demonize Estrada then, because Aunor obviously
does not do anything for free. After all, she is an aging actress,
with no major films or TV shows up her sleeve for years and she
certainly needed the money to support her habit, apart, of course,
from her stay in the US, where she is said to own a house, which now
brings up the matter of whether Aunor has paid the right taxes to the
Gloria government that she claims to support.

It also makes some wonder just what lies she had spewed during the
Edsa II revolt, since neither a drug addict or an alcoholic can be
relied upon to tell the truth.

Some role model Gloria Arroyo picked, and paying her off with public
funds too!

But obviously Nora Aunor has something on Gloria because, despite her
distancing herself from the has-been actress by throwing the case to
the foreign affairs office, she didn't take the same strong stand
taken by Estrada in the case of another actress who was caught by Guam
officials.

Incidentally, as Anjanette Agbayari was not babied by either the
Estrada government or the US authorities, she has reportedly kicked
the habit.

Still and all, that which befalls Aunor and her look-alike Gloria,
could well be karma at work.

Good karma produces good. Bad karma, well, look at them now!
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