Pubdate: Fri, 01 Apr 2005
Source: Daily Breeze (CA)
Copyright: 2005 The Copley Press Inc.
Contact:  http://www.dailybreeze.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/881
Author: Ian Gregor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines

FILIPINO ENTERTAINMENT SUPERSTAR ARRESTED AT LAX

One of the Philippines' most enduring film and music icons, Nora
Aunor, is booked on suspicion of felony methamphetamine possession.

Los Angeles International Airport police arrested one of the
Philippines' most enduring film and music icons, Nora Aunor, late
Wednesday on suspicion of felony methamphetamine possession after
security screeners allegedly found the substance in her carry-on bag,
authorities said.

Aunor, 51, was stopped at the Terminal 1 checkpoint about 8:30 p.m.
when screeners found drugs and a glass pipe wrapped in a T-shirt in
her bag, said Jennifer Peppin, a spokeswoman for the Transportation
Security Administration, who identified Aunor only as a "female
suspect" and not by name.

Police found about 8 grams of methamphetamine in a film container, a
law enforcement source said.

Aunor was booked under her real name -- Nora Cabaltera Villamayor --
at the Van Nuys jail on a felony drug possession count and was
released at 6:50 a.m. Thursday after posting $10,000 bail, according
to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Web site. A hearing is
scheduled for April 21 at the Airport Courthouse.

Carson City Councilman Elito Santarina, who is Filipino-American, said
Aunor is a huge star throughout Asia. Her nickname is "The Superstar"
and she has recorded more than two dozen albums and made more than 170
movies.

"Oh my God, I'm shocked to hear this," Santarina said when told of
Aunor's arrest, adding that he and his wife saw her in concert a few
months ago at a Hollywood club.

"She's just so popular, just like our American superstars."

Aunor's music career was launched in 1968 when she won an "American
Idol" type contest in her native Philippines, according to her Web
site on (http://geocities.com)geocities.com. She set all-time high
record sales and had more than 100 hit singles, the site says.

As an actress, she starred alongside the leading men of her era,
including Joseph Estrada, who went on to become the country's
president. She earned countless awards from Philippine film
associations from the 1970s through the present. While the 1970s and
'80s marked the pinnacle of her acting and singing career, she
continues to earn positive reviews for her film performances, winning
the best actress award at the 2004 International Festival of
Independent Films in Brussels, Belgium.

Some reports in the Philippine media say she has a reputation for
being difficult to work with.

Her political activities also have thrust her in the spotlight and
sometimes generated controversy.

In 2001, she publicly dumped Estrada, for whom she once campaigned,
claiming he used to beat her "black and blue," according to the Jan.
29, 2001, issue of Time Asia.

Last year, allegations surfaced that Estrada's successor, Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, used government funds to pay Aunor for supporting
her candidacy. Arroyo and Aunor denied those charges, saying the star
was paid only to promote the president's social services program,
according to an article last May in The Manila Times.

These days, Aunor, a Philippine citizen, spends much of her time in
the United States and owns a home in Linda Vista, near San Diego,
according to several of her fan sites.

She most recently performed concerts in Bakersfield in March and
Hawaii in January, according to her Web site.

Three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Aunor arrived
at LAX from Oakland at around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday and was scheduled to
fly back to Oakland at either 9 or 10 p.m. One said she was carrying a
passport in her real name and other identification using her stage
name.

An official from the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles did not
return two telephone messages seeking comment on Aunor's arrest and
asking whether consular officials knew how to contact her.
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