Ria Atayde said that her transfer to TV5 is not a betrayal of her home network, ABS-CBN. She defended herself saying that the offer was rather an opportunity for her amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is not betrayal of my network. It’s an opportunity amidst the pandemic. That’s not something you say no to. Blessings, di ba?” she said.
She mentioned that before coming up with a decision to accept the offer, she first sought the approval of her family, friends, and even her bosses at ABS-CBN.
“I talked to my parents about it, I talked to my friends about it, then I talked to our bosses about it to see what they thought about it,” she said.
“And when I saw that everybody was okay with it, they were supportive about it including the bosses of ABS-CBN, I was, like, ‘Then maybe it’s okay to do this,'” she added.
Ria is currently a host on TV5’s morning talk show ‘Chika, BESH!‘ along with former Kapamilya artist Pokwang and Pauleen Luna.
She mentioned that before deciding to accept the offer to her from Archangel Media, she first made sure that she had the approval and support of the ABS-CBN management.
The 28-year-old actress wanted to make sure that no conflicts will arise with the media giant from her decision because she doesn’t want to be seen as someone who is a hypocrite.
“Sinigurado ko talaga. Personally, given how affected I am by the shutdown, given how angry I still am about it, to me it’s still an injustice. I had to make sure that all of that was okay kasi ayoko ng conflict,” she said.
“And I don’t wanna seem like a hypocrite. I don’t wanna seem like I’m abandoning ship because, in fact, I’m not,” she added.
She also revealed that before accepting the offer, she thought long and hard about it. She asked her handler to wait for her decision as she collected her thoughts first especially since her home network was forced to shut down.
“Two or three weeks before we started working, I got a text from my handler saying na I was requested by TV5 for a show with Mamang Pokwang and Pauleen.”
“Sabi niya, ‘I need your decision soon. Are you okay?'”
“Sabi ko, ‘Wait, Tita, at least give me a day or a day and a half to meditate on it, figure it out.'”
“Kasi, parang given the circumstance, kaka-shut down lang din ng network. So, parang, ‘Wait a moment. This is, like, wait… wait…'”
The ABS-CBN was forced to stop its operations when lawmakers voted on July 10 in favor of the denial of a fresh franchise for the network. Thousands of Kapamilya employees lost their jobs that’s why people, along with Kapamilya celebrities, gathered for a rally last July 18, 2020.
While some might see her new show as a betrayal. she sees it as an opportunity to have a platform to speak up about her concerns and opinions.
“If anything, I’m glad this gives me a platform. At least, this way, kahit wala yung network, I’m still able to voice out my concerns and opinions, di ba?” she mentioned.
She also said that hosting was a whole new experience for her as she wanted to focus on her acting career. But, she added that she was open to exploring new roles to be able to grow more as an artist.
“It’s not exactly something na I’m known for. I’m more acting talaga. This is super new to me,” she said.
“So I’m grateful that I was even given a chance to explore. You know, when people see things in you that you don’t see in yourself? Parang ganun. ‘Oh, okay, maybe I can do it.’ From there, it became a step-by-step thing,” she added.
Ria said that she has been having fun and learning a lot with her new venture with her show on the Kapatid network. She enjoys her time with he co-hosts and said she’s doing her best in making the show worth watching.
“Ang dami pala iniisip pag talk show. Even the fluidity of the conversation comes into play,” she said.
“Kahit na may questions kayo, you still have to think about how you make an interview seem natural even if you have guide questions. That’s what I’m learning now,” she added.
Ria Atayde is still a talent of ABS-CBN’s subsidiary company Star Magic despite having a project with TV5. She started her career in showbiz with her drama series ‘Ningning‘ in 2015 where she played a minor role.
She became a part of My Dear Heart (2017), Halik (2018), Parasite Island (2019), and Manilennials (2019). She is the daughter of Sylvia Sanchez, a veteran actress, and Art Atayde, a businessman.
