Iya Villania is new 24 Oras ‘Chika Minute’ host

Published June 11, 2015 11:41am

(Updated 12:12 p.m.)Kapuso actress-host Iya Villania will be taking over the "Chika Minute" segment of primetime newscast 24 Oras starting Monday next week.

The announcement was made to the press on Thursday at the GMA Network Center in Quezon City.

.@iyavillania is the new Chika Minute host of @24OrasGMA starting June 15. #IyaOnChikaMinute via @trishamacas pic.twitter.com/HzfwgCqeoe

— GMA News (@gmanews) June 11, 2015

She will be joining 24 Oras mainstays Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco and Vicky Morales.

According to 24 Oras program manager John Ray Arrabe, "She fits the bill for what we're looking for."

He added that when Chika Minute host Pia Guanio told the management she would leave the showbiz segment, they started looking for someone who would take it to a different direction.

"We went out to look for somebody na wala sa mold ni Pia para iba na 'yung direction ng Chika Minute. Nahanap nga namin is somebody fun, somebody active, somebody na different para magkaroon ng ibang spin ang Chika Minute and we found it in Iya," he explained.

Arrabe said that Villania bested 15 other Chika Minute host hopefuls like Kapuso singer-actress Julie Ann San Jose and Miss World Megan Young who had their chance to lead the segment the past few days. But he refused to name the other actresses and beauty queens.

"I am happy GMA News is embracing me and my quirkiness... They found me amusing," Villania told reporters.

Catch @iyavillania on @24orasgma's Chika Minute every night starting next week. #IyaOnChikaMinute

A video posted by Trisha Macas (@trishamacas) on

Jun 10, 2015 at 9:37pm PDT

"I am happy GMA News is embracing me and my quirkiness," Villania told reporters.

Villania, who returned to the Kapuso network in late 2014 after marrying actor-host Drew Arellano, will be replacing Pia Guanio, who was the segment's host for 11 years.

Guanio announced last May 29 that she'll be leaving the newscast "to be able to spend more time" with husband Steve Mago and their two-year-old daughter Scarlet.

Just like Guanio, Villania will also pursue and producer her own stories for Chika Minute.

Challenges

Villania admitted taking Chika Minute will be a big challenging since she still struggles speaking complicated Filipino terms. To prepare her, she said she got in touch with Guanio to give her tips to do her job.

"She called nga and said na, 'Iya, there's really a reason why I stayed for 11 years.' She really enjoyed her time with GMA News... She told me to have fun," Villania said.

Handling sublime stories will also be another challenge for her since she is used to being bubbly and energetic. In fact, her husband pointed this out when he found out about the project.

"Kinabahan siya ng konti kasi nga naiisip niya 'yung ... lalo na pag may mga lamay, mga ganyang klaseng news. Alam niya na I'm so bubbly," she said.

But Arellano no doubt supports his wife a hundred percent, "Other than that, na-excite naman siya also because he loves GMA News."

Despite the challenges of handling Chika Minute, she promised to be appropriate.

"I never give up and I always put everything that I can in whatever it is that I do," she added.

Villania is also the host of GMA News TV's "Taste Buddies" with another Kapuso artist Solenn Heussaff.

She had an extensive hosting experience since she joined showbiz in 2004. Before she went home to the Kapuso Network, she hosted a morning show for two years and a lifestyle show for six years, and became a well-loved VJ for 10 years.

When asked how she's going to bring something new to Chika Minute, Villania joked, "Magspi-spiel ako na naka-handstand." — Trisha Macas and Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/RSJ/KBK, GMA News

Tags: iyavillaniaarellano, iyavillania