President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos lead the Presidential Medal of Merit Conferment Ceremony in honor of Margarita Fores, Gloria Romero, Pilita Corrales, and Nora Aunor, with the awards accepted by each of their respective families. Photo shows President Marcos with actress Jackielou Blanco, daughter of the late Pilita Corrales. (PPA Pool by Ryan Baldemor)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sunday led the conferment of the Presidential Medal of Merit to Gloria Romero, Margarita Araneta Forés, Pilita Corrales, and Nora Aunor.
In his speech in a ceremony at Malacañan Palace, Marcos paid tribute to the four icons whose crafts have made our “national consciousness more visible and felt worldwide.”
“To Gloria, to Margarita, to Pilita, to Nora—it seems very little but the best we can do, maraming, maraming salamat po. You live on in every artist who takes the risk, in every child who has fond dreams, and every citizen who wishes to let the world know what it means to be a Filipino,” Marcos said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos lead the Presidential Medal of Merit Conferment Ceremony in honor of Margarita Fores, Gloria Romero, Pilita Corrales, and Nora Aunor, with the awards accepted by each of their respective families. Photo shows President Marcos with the late Nora Aunor’s son, Ian De Leon and other members of the family.
“We are here to honor four outstanding individuals who, though they have passed from our world, continue to shape our art, our cinema, our music, and our culinary landscape,” Marcos added.
The Presidential Medal of Merit was created under Executive Order No. 236 in 2003.
It recognizes individuals for their valuable input and excellence in the service of nation-building.
Romero, dubbed the “Queen of Philippine Cinema,” won seven FAMAS Awards, three Gawad Urian Awards, and four Luna Awards.
Some of her best films are Dalagang Ilocana, Palibhasa Lalake, and Tanging Yaman. Romero passed away on January 25, 2025.
Forés, meanwhile, has “reimagined Italian cuisine by giving it a Filipino heart.”
In 2016, she was named Asia’s Best Female Chef and received the 2025 Woodford Reserve Icon Award. Araneta – Forés passed away on February 11, 2025.
Corrales, known as “Asia’s Queen of Songs,” cradled people across continents. She won Best Performer at the Tokyo Music Festival and received a FAMAS and Lifetime Achievement Award. Corrales passed away on April 12, 2025.
Aunor was inducted into the FAMAS Hall of Fame and named a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts.
She bagged multiple local and international awards. Among her famous films are Himala and Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos.
Aunor passed away on April 16, 2025.