“I am happy for him. We’re glad to be of service.”
This is the amused reaction of Butch Francisco, a member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP), regarding Jiro Manio’s sale of his Gawad Urian trophy to content creator and businessman Jayson Luzadas, better known as Boss Toyo of Pinoy Pawnstars. ‘I am happy for him. We’re glad to be of service.’
Jiro made history in the movie industry at the age of twelve when he became the youngest recipient of the Best Actor award at the twenty-seventh Gawad Urian in 2004. He won for his outstanding performance in ‘Magnifico,’ a film released in theaters on January 29, 2003.
Two decades after his Gawad Urian win, Jiro is back in the spotlight for selling his best actor trophy to Boss Toyo for PHP 75,000. Butch is amused by Jiro’s action and is pleased that the former child actor was able to sell the Gawad Urian trophy for a significant amount, jokingly suggesting, ‘If Boss Toyo wants, I can refer him to the maker of Gawad Urian trophies to save money.’
The PHP 75,000 is a significant help to Jiro, considering his journey through various challenges, including mental health issues and struggles with vices, since his early acting career. Jiro initially quoted Boss Toyo PHP 100,000 for the trophy, but they settled on PHP 75,000.
Boss Toyo plans to display Jiro’s acting award from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino in his museum. However, the trophy lacks the name of the young actor as he didn’t have it engraved.
During their conversation, it came to light that Jiro was unaware that the letter ‘M’ on the trophy signifies Manunuri. Moreover, Jiro might be ignorant of the stone used in the Gawad Urian trophy, which symbolizes the gold rating given by MPP members to actors and films honored.
Butch is not offended by Jiro’s sale of the Gawad Urian trophy, unlike the MPP members in 1981 when Johnny Delgado won best supporting actor for ‘Kakabakaba,’ and he was seen putting the trophy in his pants pocket. The MPP members were also hurt when director Ishmael Bernal placed the Best Screenplay Gawad Urian for ‘City After Dark’ on the floor after winning in 1981.
Many changes have occurred since 1981 to 2024, and MPP members may understand Jiro’s decision to sell his acting trophy due to financial necessity. The practice of selling awards by some award-giving bodies has been widespread among artists who believe that their talent fees will increase when they win awards. For the first time, a prestigious award-giving body like Gawad Urian is involved in the sale of an acting trophy due to Jiro’s actions.”
