The longest and most impassioned speech, however, came not from any of the major awardees. Conferred a lifetime achievement award, Nora Aunor looked back to her humble beginnings and draw insights from her colorful and much decorated 25 years as an actress.

"I know I've made a lot of enemies, and now I'm left with very few friends," she said as her lengthy remarks acquired a dark, bitter tone toward the end.

Perhaps the youngest person to be thus honored, Aunor has been widely criticized for her diminishing film output and her lost box-office clout over the past several years.