Aunor, whose real name is Nora Cabaltera Villamayor, was arrested late Wednesday allegedly with eight grams of the drug in her carry-on bag and a glass pipe wrapped in a T-shirt, according to the Daily Breeze of Torrance.
The newspaper named Aunor, but Jennifer Peppin, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, would only identify the woman as a "female suspect."
Airport screeners reportedly stopped Aunor, who was flying to Oakland, and found the methamphetamine hydrochloride – know locally as "shabu" – in a film container, the Daily Breeze said, citing unnamed law enforcement officials.
Aunor, 51, was released early Thursday after posting $10,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. A court hearing was scheduled for April 21.
Lita Patayon, assistant to the Philippine consulate in Los Angeles, told The Associated Press by phone she was unaware of the incident but would attempt to confirm whether Aunor was arrested.
Known as "The Superstar" to her fans, Aunor has appeared in more than 170 films and recorded more than two dozen albums, including scores of hit singles.
On screen, she starred with the leading men of her time, including Joseph Estrada, who later became president.
She won the best actress award at the 2004 International Festival for Independent Films in Brussels, Belgium. In 1997, she won for best actress at the East Asia Film and Television Festival Awards in Penang, Malaysia.
Aunor now spends much of her time in the United States and has a home in Linda Vista, several miles north of San Diego.
Aunor left for the US last year after campaigning for President Arroyo and completing the movie "Naglalayag," directed by her good friend Maryo de los Reyes.
"I was shocked," De los Reyes told The STAR. "I did hear rumors that she was taking drugs but there were no manifestations during our shooting. I’m not sure if she’s really into it, that’s why when somebody told me about the L.A. airport incident, I was shocked."
Sources said Aunor bought a house in San Francisco under somebody else’s name. She was reported to be performing a series of concerts on the West Coast before coming home in August.
She is the third Filipino actress to have been caught with prohibited drugs in US territory. The first two were Anjanette Abayari and Alma Concepcion, both arrested in Guam. — Ricky Lo