Do you remember the award-winning film “Magnifico”?
How about the actor who played as the protagonist of the film who bears the name of the film?
Jiro Manio, the youngest multi-awarded actor of his generation, played Magnifico in 2003.
The film is about a young boy with a good heart and his family who were faced with several adversities to the point of losing hope and giving up. His older brother lost his scholarship and his sister suffers from cerebral palsy. Their family is not well-off and they live in a humble home in the province. His grandmother was found to have stomach cancer. Upon learning how expensive it is to die, Magnifico embarks on a mission of saving money for his grandmother. While doing this, he affects the lives of the people around him, making things a bit better to bear for them. Unfortunately, he experienced an ironic fate towards the end of the film.
Fast-forward to today, apparently, Manio was found roaming around the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). People in the airport are reportedly helping him by giving him food and clothes.
According to a post from Inquirer.net, Manio has been roaming around the airport’s lobby for four days now. He stays mostly at the terminal’s restaurant area, searching for leftover food.
Frank Sorca, a security guard at the said airport, recognized Manio and said that it seemed like the actor “hasn’t had any decent meal and his clothes were dirty.” He gave Manio clothes, food, and bath accessories. Manio only took the food and used the clothes but refused to clean himself.
When asked why he was there, Sorca said that Manio has been giving different answers every time. One time, he said that he left home because he had enemies there. When asked another time, he gives a different answer.Â
Employees of the airport have been contributing to help out Manio, giving him food and other basic stuff.
Apparently, Manio does not realize why he was getting attention. When told that he was an actor, he insisted that he wasn’t and claimed that he just looks like the actor.Â
In 2011, Manio entered rehabilitation for one year due to drug abuse.
According to a news report on TV Patrol, Manio’s father admitted that they had fight that’s why he left the house. Manio’s siblings are asking for help as well because they are no longer capable of supporting the actor’s mental health treatment. Below is a screenshot of their call for help.
Rough translation: We’re sad that he (Jiro Manio) was found at the airport. He left the house last Saturday evening and he didn’t come back after that. We just learned from Facebook that he is at the airport. We think he is going through extreme depression because even when he is here at home, we can’t talk to him properly. He is always staring off in space and mad. Even if we want to get him medical attention, we don’t have the money to do so. So, we are asking for help so we can get him proper medical attention and prevent this from getting worse. PLEASE SHARE. Thanks!
Has anyone seen Jiro Manio at the airport?
Would anyone here know where he is now or what happened to him?Â
