Former weather anchor Seph Ubalde dead at 34

FILE: “Freedom.” (Photo: @seph_ubalde/Instagram)

It is confirmed that former TV5 news/weather reporter and Manila Times columnist Mark Joseph Holandes Ubalde, better known as Seph Ubalde, has passed away last Monday, April 1 after being found passed out in his suite at the Shangri-la Hotel, The Fort in Bonifacio Global City.

Police reports say that Seph’s body was discovered with no pulse in his hotel room after the staff received a call saying that the anchor was not answering his phone. The in-house doctor of the hotel then declared him dead on the spot. Shyrl Ann Ubalde, Seph’s sister, was the first to confirm the news to the public. Yet, as of writing, there are no updates yet on Seph’s cause of death. His remains currently lie at the Loyola Memorial Chapels in Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.

Many of Seph’s closest family and friends are surprised by the horrific news, stating that they have always known the man to have a positive disposition, was very health conscious, and extremely intelligent. Prior to being discovered dead, Seph posted a photo of himself on social media, smiling while enjoying a waterfall, captioned “Freedom.”

Seph graduated from the University of the Philippines in 2007 with a degree in Journalism. Three years after that, he attended the International Institute for Journalism in Berlin, Germany, where he received a Certificate on Online and Multimedia Journalism.

He began his media career as a Senior News Producer in GMA News, quickly moving on to become a reporter for InterAksyon.com in 2011. On Aksyon TV, he was known to deliver weather news for shows Good Morning Club, Andar ng mga Balita, Aksyon News, Alerts, and Balitang 60. He was also the head content manager for News5 Everywhere.

In 2012, Spot.ph included Seph in their “Top 10 Cutest TV Newsmen: 2012 Edition” article, where they described the young talent, saying, “His charming toothpaste-ad smile and lean frame make him worthy of being a matinee idol. If this is the face of your weather forecast, then, yes, it will always be sunny in Metro Manila.”