“‘Tara, pakasal tayo!’ So I said, ‘Okay.’”
Inamin ni Richard Merck (main) na nagpakasal sila ni Nora Aunor sa U.S.: “We lost a superstar. I lost my ex-wife. We were married, you know. In Vegas.”
PHOTO/S: Jerry Olea (main); File (inset)
NOEL FERRER
Ibinunyag ni Richard Merck na ikinasal sila ni National Artist Nora Aunor.
“Mahaba ang pinagsamahan namin. I felt really, really sad,” tugon ni Richard nang tanungin tungkol sa naramdaman niya nang mabalitaan ang pagpanaw ng Superstar.
Eksklusibong nainterbyu ng PEP Troika si Richard, na kilala rin as Richard Merk, sa lamay ni Ate Guy noong Biyernes Santo, Abril 18, 2025, sa The Heritage Park, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Richard Merck (2nd from right) with PEP Troika (L-R) Gorgy Rula, Noel Ferrer, and Jerry Olea
Pagpapatuloy ni Richard: “Well, I was asking myself, ‘What happened?’
“Ang sagot lang ni Matet [de Leon] is, Ahh, complication. So, I won’t ask anymore.
“So sayang nga, e. We lost a superstar. I lost my ex-wife. We were married, you know. In Vegas.
“So, we were not divorced. We never went to Vegas to divorce. So, malungkot.”
RICHARD MERCK REMEMBERS NORA AUNOR
Anu-ano ang fond memories niya kay Ate Guy?
“Oh, many, many, many.”
Beautiful music na collab nila.
“Hindi lang yun. Ahhh, we would talk at nights about movies, what to do. She would ask me to act,” napangiting pagbabalik-tanaw ni Richard.
“We were like crazy, you know. ‘Umarte ka nga ng parang ano,’ ganyan-ganyan. So I would. Parang sira-ulo. I would. ‘Magaling ka, ah?!’ sabi niyang ganun.
“So, we were a fun couple.”
Mahigit tatlong taon ang pagsasama nina Richard at Nora. Hindi na matandaan ni Richard ang petsa ng kanilang kasal.
Pero ayon sa artikulong lumabas dito sa PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) noong 2007, ikinasal sila noong July 7, 1988.
Base ito sa record na nakuha mula sa Marriage Inquiry System ng Clark County sa Nevada, U.S.
According to Nevada Court Records, Nora Aunor got married twice.
Photo/s: File
GORGY RULA
Sa tatlong taon nilang pagsasama, naging coach ni Nora Aunor si Richard Merck sa pagkanta.
“Nagpapa-coach siya, e. ‘Coach me in some of my songs,’” kuwento ni Richard.
Naging musical arranger din siya ni Ate Guy, di ba?
“I rearranged ‘What Now, My Love,’ then I taught her how to, alam mo yung, ahhh, ganyan,’ pagmumuwestra niya sa istilo ng pagkanta na “may ipit.”
Dagdag ng jazz singer, “You know what, she learned fast. Ang galing niya.”
Nanatili silang friends kahit nagkahiwalay sila?
“No, this is sad. The sad thing is, I had to leave. I was already looking for myself,” pagtatapat ni Richard.
“My career. Because everything, because I was writing scripts sa yellow pad for her.
“In fact merong isa, e, na ang title, e, Todo Pong Chow and Paningit. May cast na ako. Carmi Martin, Amy Austria, one more, and then Guy. Todo Pong Chow and Paningit.
“I gave it to her. Sabi ko, ‘Produce it. It will be a hit.’ Even the shots, nakalagay dun. Top shot umpisa.
“Alam mo, she didn’t like doing it. Guess what, five years later, may lumabas na Joy Luck Club. Tungkol sa mahjong…
“So, I felt so bad. Sabi ko, ‘Sayang, e. If we did it, you know, nakauna ka sana.’”
Noong 1993 lumabas ang American film na The Joy Luck Club tungkol sa relationships ng apat na Chinese-American women sa kanilang Chinese immigrant mothers.
Base iyon sa 1989 novel ni Amy Tan na kapareho ang title.
JERRY OLEA
RICHARD MERCK’S FUN FACTS ABOUT NORA AUNOR
Andaming magagandang alaala ni Richard Merck sa mahigit tatlong taong pagsasama nila ni Nora Aunor, kabilang ang mga concert tour ng Superstar sa abroad.
Andoon ang mga kabaliwang pinagsaluhan nila.
“Yung mga biyahe namin sa Hong Kong, sa States, sa Canada, sa Winnipeg,” salaysay ni Richard.
“She would have me direct the show. Ano siya, e, very supportive sa akin as well. Kunyari may show sa Canada, Winnipeg. ‘Ikaw na ang magdirek. Alam mo ang gagawin.’
“Okay, so, I direct.
“Fun moments, you know what, Guy likes eating in the room. She never eats outside the room.”
Ano ang paboritong ulam ni Ate Guy?
“Sinigang na baboy.”
Anong quirks nila as a couple? Gifts sa isa’t isa?
“Siya, maregalo siya.”
Ano ang pinaka-memorable gift sa kanya ni Ate Guy?
“Na nasanla ko… alam mo naman ang buhay ko noon, di ba? Open book naman,” bittersweet na pagngiti ni Richard.
“I was a user of drugs. So, yun, pag may, kunyari, bracelet na malalaki or kuwintas na malaki, na never ko natutubos.
“But those were the days.”
Ano ang love language niya kay Ate Guy?
“There’s one word, sentence, that she told me, na napakasarap pakinggan.
“This happened when she was staying in Green Meadows,” pagsisiwalat ni Richard.
“Nagkikita na kami. Sabi niya, ‘Ikaw na ang huling lalaki sa buhay ko!’”
Naniwala siya?
“Of course! Nagulat nga ako, e.”
Iyon ang nagbunsod para magpakasal sila sa Las Vegas, Nevada?
“No, hindi pa. It took a while. Actually, pag-marry namin, ano, e…we watched Tom Jones,” paggunita ni Richard.
“And then nung matapos yung show ni Tom Jones, out of nowhere, sabi niya, ‘Tara, pakasal tayo!’ So I said, ‘Okay.’”
Si Nora ang nagyaya na pakasal sila?
“Yeah. I said okay,” pagtatapos ng jazz singer.