BY MARY KAY SWEIKAR
DANVILLE — When Heatcraft shut its doors in December 2009, Danville resident Leonardo Maniquis joined the ranks of millions of unemployed Americans.
More than a year later, Maniquis still hasn’t found a job. Finances remain tight for his family, including his wife, Jossie, and their three sons, Mikee, 13, Justin, 10, and Jericho, 6.
Nevertheless, the family has kept a positive attitude, and they’re trying to make the best of the situation.
Being unemployed has given Leonardo more time to spend with his sons.
“I used to work so much overtime that I could never see any of their soccer and basketball games,” he said. “Since I’ve been off work, I attend all of them.”
Jossie said, “I’m not discouraged that Leonardo hasn’t found a job yet because I know that something will turn up for him sooner or later.”
The family has made certain concessions in order to save money.
“When we go grocery shopping, the boys know from the start not to ask for any toys or games,” Jossie said. “The younger boys also wear a lot of hand-me-downs, and we won’t be able to take a vacation during spring break like we used to.”
Leonardo came to the United States in 1993 to live with his sister and father in San Jose, Calif. When he left the Philippines, he already had a degree in marine transportation and worked as third shipman on a merchant ship.
“That was a good job, but only if you intended to stay single,” Leonardo said. “I was out to sea for 10 months at a time.”
Leonardo feels that he’s qualified only for a factory job in the United States, and these jobs are scarce in the Danville area.
“I’ve tried everything that was suggested to me,” he said, “but nobody is hiring, and I’ve had no interviews.”
Jossie, a registered nurse, works weekends in the intensive care unit at Provena United Samaritans Medical Center, where she has been employed since 2000. She earned her nursing degree in the Philippines and came to Danville to work at a nursing home when she was 22 years old.
“The pay for nurses was better in America than in the Philippines,” she said, “so many of my classmates also came to the States to work.”
From the time she started working in health care, Jossie has always taken the night or weekend shift so she could be home with the boys when Leonardo was at work.
Leonardo and Jossie were introduced by one of his sisters, Marilyn Sia, who works in a Danville nursing home. The couple married in 1995 and decided to make Danville their permanent home.
Jossie prefers to live in a small, quiet town such as Danville, whereas Leonardo grew up in a big city and prefers that lifestyle.
“But Danville is a much better place to raise our family than in a big town,” Leonardo said, “so we plan to stay here until our kids are grown. Neither of us will ever regret coming to the United States.”
Busy boys
Jossie and Leonardo are happy with the education their boys are receiving in Danville. Mikee is in eighth grade at St. Paul’s School. He plays basketball and soccer with the Danville Soccer Association and also the Vermilion County Soccer Club traveling team. He plays the clarinet in his school band, is on the student council, and plans to attend Schlarman High School next year.
Jericho is in first grade at St. Paul’s, and he also plays soccer. Justin attends East Park Elementary School, where he is enrolled in the MATS program and also is on the soccer team.
Because English is a second language in the Philippines, neither Jossie nor Leonardo had trouble adapting to speaking English in the United States.
“I do feel that the American slang was difficult to learn,” Leonardo said.
They are both U.S. citizens, but they own land in the Philippines, where they plan to retire someday.
Leonardo is trying to teach his sons the Filipino language and culture so they can identify with their heritage.
“I also want them to realize how lucky they are to be living in America where there is so much opportunity,” he said.
The family doesn’t eat out at restaurants often, because they all prefer the Filipino dishes that Jossie prepares. They especially enjoy rice dishes, such as rice with either chicken or pork that has been sautéed with onions and vinegar. They buy most of their food at an Asian food store in Champaign. One of their favorite snacks is steamed muffins made from pancake batter.
The family enjoys spending time with the Filipino community in Danville and in Champaign, and they look forward to their Filipino picnic and Christmas party each year.
“Everyone in our community is very supportive of their friends,” Jossie said, “and we all look out for one other.”
