Ex-Kapuso anchor Rhea Santos among Canada’s ‘75 Faces of Migration’

Rhea Santos, now with Canada’s OMNI Television, has been named one of the “75 Faces of Migration,” a project that highlights the stories of 75 Filipino-Canadians who have made a significant impact in Canada.

The initiative is organized by the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, in collaboration with the Philippine Embassy in Canada.

Santos shared her gratitude for being included in the project, describing it as a validation of her decision to move to Canada. “I am deeply honored and humbled that I was chosen to be part of this project alongside 74 inspiring individuals who have made a mark and are continuously serving communities in giving it back to Canada,” she said in an interview with OMNI’s sister station, CityNews.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to serve fellow Filipinos back home in the Philippines through my career in television. I did almost two decades of broadcast journalism in the Philippines. And I never really expected that I will be able to do that profession here, but again, here I am, very thankful,” she added.

Santos left the Philippines in 2019 after 19 years at GMA-7, where she gained prominence as the co-anchor of the country’s longest-running morning show Unang Hirit . At the Kapuso Network, Santos also headlined several top-rating public affairs programs such as Tunay Na Buhay and Pinoy Abroad.

During the pandemic year of 2020, Santos joined Rogers Sports and Media as a video journalist and anchor for OMNI News: Filipino Edition, the Filipino-language newscast of OMNI Television. Since then, she has been the voice of Filipino-Canadians in Canada, covering stories that resonate with the community.

“I really never expected to go back to television because coming here, I was told that I would have to start from the bottom, and I was willing to do that for my family,” Santos said. “I actually want to thank OMNI Television for giving me a reason to wake up every day, to do what I love, because I always hope that through the work that I do, through the stories that I tell, I hope to inspire more people and hopefully create change, whether big or small. And I hope that me being here would give hope and courage to others, that change may be scary, but it can also be an exciting adventure.”

Watch the full interview below: