MANILA, Philippines — Comedy queen and Kapuso actress Ai-Ai delas Alas on Sunday took to social media to air her sentiments on the frustrated homicide charge filed against former actor Jiro Manio, saying that the latter should have valued all the help she had extended him.
“Ako bilang nanay-nanayan niya, siguro naman alam ng nasa taas kung anong effort ang nagawa ko at naitulong ko sa kanya na sana pinahalagahan niya… siguro hindi siya nandito sa ganitong sitwasyon,” a teary-eyed Delas Alas said in a video posted on Instagram.
(Maybe God knows all the efforts I did for Jiro as someone close to being a mother to him. If he had only valued all my help… maybe he won’t be in this kind of situation.)
Manio is facing a complaint of frustrated homicide after allegedly stabbing a 25-year-old man in Marikina City on Friday night.
READ: Jiro Manio arrested for stabbing man in Marikina | Marikina police file criminal raps vs Jiro Manio
In 2011, Manio, whose real name is Jiro Katakura, entered a drug rehabilitation center and in 2015 was found roaming about at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, dressed in old clothes and living on the kindness of strangers for food.
READ: Multi-awarded actor Jiro Manio now roaming NAIA for food, clothes
He was then brought by Delas Alas, who played the role of his mother in the “Ang Tanging Ina” film series, to a rehabilitation center in Quezon City.
After Manio was discharged, Delas Alas said she even rented a condominium unit to help him have a fresh start and also convinced him to enter show business again.
She said Manio even signed a contract with GMA Network to portray his own story in a Kapuso show.
“After two hours na pumirma kami, nagtext sa akin, sabi niya ‘Mama, ayoko na, ayoko na mag-artista.’ Sabi ko, ‘Anak patay tayo dyan. Kakapirma pa lang natin. Anong nangyayari?” she said.
(After two hours when we signed, he texted me, saying, ‘Mama, I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want to be an actor again.’ I told him, ‘Son, that will be a problem. We have just signed the contract.’)
The actress explained that Manio’s repetitive dilemma in making decisions made her think he still wasn’t well, prompting her to admit the multi-awarded actor to a rehab center again, this time in Bataan province.
But while he was undergoing rehab, the Kapuso actress said she heard from someone that Manio went back to using marijuana.
“So ‘yun ‘yung time na sabi ko, wala na ‘to, parang pakiramdam ko lahat ng binuhos kong effort, tulong, pangaral, suporta sa pamilya, parang natapon na lang ng ganun,” she said.
(That was the time I realized I should stop. I feel like all the effort and advice and support to his family that I gave was just wasted like that.)
“Parang ang dating sa akin, napagod na ako… Nawalan na ako ng pag-asa, wala na, parang hindi na magbabago ‘tong si Jiro… Sabi ko siguro tama na ‘yung nagawa ko para sa kanya,” she added.
(I finally became tired… I lost hope because it seems Jiro won’t change anymore. Maybe what I have done so far was enough.)
Delas Alas bared she decided to cut the communication with Manio since then.
As she ended her video, the Comedy Queen also called for prayers for Manio as he faces another setback in life.
“Sana po i-pray niyo na lang din po siya na malampasan po nya itong lahat ng nangyari sa kanya and dun po sa mga magja-judge po sa akin, God bless po, alam po ng nasa taas kung anong laman ng puso ko at kung ano talaga ang ginawa ko kay Jiro para mapabuti siya,” she said, adding that she hopes Manio will learn from everything he went through.
(I hope you will just pray for him so that he can surpass everything that has happened to him. To those who will judge me, God bless, God knows what is inside my heart and what I really did for Jiro’s welfare.)