Whatever happened to Niña Corpuz?

Suddenly, she was off the air. Did she simply vanish into thin air?

Whatever happened to Niña Corpuz, the pretty segment co-host of Ogie Diaz (who also disappeared as if swallowed by an invisible force) on ABS-CBN’s early-morning show Magandang Umaga Bayan (MUB, now called Magandang Umaga Pilipinas or MUP) and Showbiz No. 1? Was Niña hurt when MUP had a reformat and she and Ogie were dropped not only from it but also from Showbiz No. 1 (but she was reassigned as host of Star Patrol, a segment of TV Patrol, later replaced by Phoemela Barranda)?

Funfare will let Niña Corpuz herself do the explaining via the following e-mail she sent from wherever she is now:

Dear Ricky,

I’ve been getting some text messages asking if I left ABS-CBN. The answer is, of course, no. I remain very loyal to the company that helped me establish a career in TV I never thought I'd have. It's also not true that I made "tampo" and decided to leave because I was "tsugi" from mub, tv Patrol and Showbiz No. 1.

mub reformatted and I was transferred to anchor Star Patrol in tv Patrol which I consider a promotion. In fact, two days before I left, I was still anchoring TV Patrol's Star Patrol and Showbiz No. 1 (before the entire show got tsugi). Star Patrol had no anchor for a while when I left. Three weeks later, they decided to put Phoemela Barranda.

As you know, I'm here on a scholarship grant (known as the Chevening Scholarship) given by the British Council and British Embassy. I'm taking up a short course in International Broadcast Journalism here at Cardiff University in Wales. I arrived last June 24 so I've been here for almost a month and a half. I'm cooking adobo for the first time, doing laundry and walking to school almost every day. It's very exciting!

Cardiff is very different from London in a good way. It is "probinsya" compared to the big cities, and is very scenic and "green"– lots of parks, mountains and, jogging and bike trails.

People also have a very relaxed and laidback lifestyle. The thing I've noticed is that there doesn't seem to be very many old people here, and it has a very "campus" environment. So many kids everywhere and so many students!

Cardiff University (a.k.a University of Wales) is beside the city center which is the busiest place and where all the shopping and cultural activities happen.

Two weeks ago, I covered the Barrio Fiesta event at Hyde Park in London. I did a voice package that included Edu Manzano, Aga Muhlach, Agot Isidro and Rica Peralejo for Insider and tv Patrol Sabado.

You might already know that a lot of Hollywood stars are starring at West End: Brooke Shields in Chicago, Val Kilmer in The Postman Rings Twice and, I'm holding my breath because I'm so excited to watch, Ewan McGregor in Guys and Dolls!

Some people think I'm crazy for leaving my career there. It is a risk I know but tv is also very temporary. My uk experience and education is something nobody can take away from me so I have no regrets. I'm looking forward to going back there soon and resume my duty first and foremost – as a reporter, a much more permanent and rewarding job as I'm sure you very well know.

Speaking of the bombings, I visited London over the weekend to see if I could be of any help to Danny Buenafe. I took the bus to Victoria Station, and asked around for a cheap bed and breakfast when I got there.

I think my thriftiness got the better of me and I found my hotel on a road surrounded by pubs and convenience stores brimming with drunkards! It's a good thing Danny B. picked me up to get something to eat -some drunks would come over to "accost" us and ask for money, and Danny (the big bouncer that he is) would just swat them away. We got lost in Central London's underground and bus system, but we eventually found our way to King's Cross. And oh boy, the international media was all over the place. It made me miss our cameras, ENG Vans and Field Producers as I watched them set up their systems for their Live shots.

The best part was meeting CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson. I was starstruck.

All the best,

– Niña

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