Broadcaster-TV host Niña Corpuz can make the best Levain-inspired chocolate chip cookie. That is according to her three kids — Stella (10), Emily (seven) and Luke (four).
Apparently, the kids approve, if not patronize, the things that Niña does for them and for the family, baking and cooking included.
Juggling her time between work and home is never easy for Niña. In 2017, she was merely in a dilemma in finding children’s clothes that represented our culture for her two daughters. That was what prompted her to start Niña Inabel, a garments line made from pure cotton inabel fabric from her hometown, Ilocos Norte.
“I wish I could say women can have it all — to an extent, yes, but not at the same time,” Niña asserted. “Sometimes, there are sacrifices that have to be made. Sometimes, I cannot attend a school activity or sometimes, I cannot attend an exhibit because I have to be a mom.
“It’s difficult, but it’s also about being okay with my decisions as a mom or as a businesswoman or as a host. I try my best to balance them all, but honestly, you can’t. It’s not a perfect life. What’s important, for me, is being at peace with my decisions and learning from my mistakes. Every new day is a chance to be better.”
Married to Upstream.ph general manager Vince Rodriguez for 14 years now, Niña relishes the time her family spends together during this pandemic. Seeing her kids grow up makes Niña realize what matters most — them.
“We were ‘forced’ to spend all this time together at home and this made us closer than ever,” Niña allowed. “We also tried to spend more time with my parents by going on ‘bubble trips’ outside of Metro Manila. I wanted my kids to spend as much time with their grandparents as possible.
“After the strict lockdown, we went out and about, visited the outdoors, beaches, lakes, mountains. We showed our kids the beauty of nature, we hiked, went paddle boarding, visited farms. Our little family adventures made us realize how beautiful our country is and you don’t have to ride a plane to do all that.
“There were extraordinary special moments that would never have happened if not for the lockdowns. This pandemic will end one day and for sure, I will look back and say, when will I ever get to spend this much time with my kids? Despite the challenges, in some ways, it was magical. Now, things are slowly getting back to normal, we are all busier and traffic is back! (laughs).”
Niña is only too grateful that her hubby, Vince, is undoubtedly her partner in more ways than one. He manages the streaming service created by producer Dondon Monteverde and director Erik Matti, in partnership with Globe, that was born this pandemic as a result of cinemas closing down.
“Vince has always been a very supportive husband in anything I do,” Niña beamed. “He cheers me on, even if I fail. It’s important to have a partner who motivates you, understands you and loves you no matter what.
“He is also very busy with his work, but many times, I ask him for fashion advice (for Niña Inabel), really! He’ll probably laugh, but he is my ‘fashion consultant.’ His advice is always the same, somewhere along the lines of less is more, keep it simple and classic or he will just ask me, ‘Will Angelina Jolie wear that?’ Tapos ang usapan.”
Niña is thankful that her kids finally got the hang of online distance learning, so there is no need to closely supervise them. “I can go straight to work by overseeing Niña Inabel,” she said. “Sometimes, I have scheduled event hostings and live interviews for Hashtag Healthy Naman and Mommy Niña PH, which is on my YouTube and Facebook page.
“In the afternoon, I check on the kids’ homework and school deadlines which can also be quite stressful — I’m sure parents can relate to this. I also love cooking something I see on the Internet or baking cookies or attending to my little herb garden.”
On weekends, Niña’s family tries to do some physical activities. “Or we go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it’s outside without the crowds,” Niña offered. “Or we just relax at home, have pizza day or family movie night, curl up together, kiss and hug each other to death. Time flies and I hope I can still do all these things with my kids for as long as it takes.”
Personally, she got into biking just this pandemic. “First around the city with a folding bike and then nearby places like Antipolo and San Mateo, Rizal with a mountain bike,” she granted.
“It’s exciting and liberating to bike — being closer to the ‘streets,’ seeing the sights, whether it’s smelling the fast food or the pine trees being outside a four-wheeled vehicle made me feel grounded and grateful. It was exactly what I needed during a pandemic, not just physically but mentally.”
In 2017, Niña even wrote a book, How To Raise a Superstar?, for ABS-CBN Publishing and Working Mom, featuring her interviews with the doting moms of celebrities, including Karla Estrada for Daniel Padilla, Min Bernardo for Kathryn, Mommy Pinty for Toni and Alex Gonzaga and even Mommy Dionisia for Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Niña’s mom, who is a lawyer-CPA, is her “superwoman” of a mom. From her, Niña learned how to be generous. “She always told me that ever since I was a child, paulit-ulit,” Niña recalled. “When you give, you get more in return. She showed us how this was done — it starts at home and with the people around you. Her employees stayed with her, 20, 30, 40 years, since I was born, they are still with us.”
Not surprisingly, Niña learned to surround herself with people that constantly inspire her. “They should be leaders that set by example or everyday heroes that act at the moment, to make someone’s life better one person or one community at a time,” she concluded.