A Kapamilya exodus?

MANILA, Philippines - If not checked on time, there just might be a Kapamilya “exodus” to the two other channels, its rival GMA and TV5, considered to be the new “third force.”

While so far only four GMA talents — Paolo Bediones, JC de Vera, Rainier Castillo and Pauleen Luna who is under contract with TAPE Inc., producer of Eat, Bulaga! — have hopped over to TV5, a considerable number of Kapamilya have, so to speak, moved house, including such heavyweights as Ruffa Gutierrez, Maricel Soriano and Dolphy, all to TV5; Claudine Barretto, Mark Bautista and, recently, Rachelle Ann Go, all to GMA (photo at right shows Rachelle during the contract-signing with, from left, Viva senior VP Veronique del Rosario Corpus, GMA Network EVP/COO Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., GMA president/CEO Felipe L. Gozon, GMA SVP for Entertainment Wilma V. Galvante and GMA Films president Annette Gozon-Abrogar).

New Kapuso Heart Evangelista and Bayani Agbayani are former Kapamilya; the former became one two years ago and the latter only recently. Carl (formerly Carlo) Guevarra, who’s with Aljur Abrenica and Kris Bernal in The Last Prince, is now also a Kapuso.

ABS-CBN newscaster Cheryl Cosim was lured by TV5 with an offer she couldn’t refuse. Her colleague, Karen Davila, changed her mind at the last minute and so did Anthony Taberna who was “rewarded” with a slot in the weekly show XXX at the expense of Alex Santos. Amy Perez took a “career move” by quitting as host of dzMM’s midnight program AMY (About Me & You, replaced by Francine Prieto as Bobby Yan’s co-anchor) and hosting the getting-to-be-popular/-top-rater Face to Face on TV5.

Could it be true that Billy Crawford and girlfriend Nikki Gil are “seriously thinking” of turning Kapuso, too? What about Iya Villania, Christian Bautista and...et tu?...Luis Manzano?

Mark Bautista and Rachelle Ann Go are Viva stars. Now that they have jumped ober da bakod, will their Kapamilya Viva colleagues Sarah Geronimo and Anne Curtis follow suit?

As you can see, TV is where the excitement is.

They’re on a merry-go-round, see? Ang saya-saya!