SPECIAL FEATURE: TELENOVELAS IN THE PHILIPPINES: A reawakened passion?

Like the character of Pedro Donoso in El Cuerpo del Deseo, telenovelas have risen from the ashes. After several years of a dearth of the Latino dramas, they are once again back on Philippine tv and to everybody's astonishment, they are doing very well.

Flashback

Before ABS-CBN took the risk of putting El Cuerpo del Deseo on the afternoon timeslot there were no telenovelas airing on Filipino tv. Everybody was in fact skeptical of the network's decision to gamble on another telenovela. Zorro, the last telenovela it aired, did not fare well sothe network had to pull the plug after only a few months of airing.

But ABS-CBN just had to lay its Mario Cimarro card on the table. Amazingly, El Cuerpo del Deseo has become one of the most watched television programs on Philippine tv. Even some of the people who initially dismissed this show as the network's next flop, has taken back their caustic comments.

This is not the first time though that Mario Cimarro has pulled a surprise. When Pasion de Gavilanes (Pasion de Amor in the Philippines) was shown a few years back, no advertiser backed its first week of showing. However, the show's different feel plus perhaps some Mario magic eventually made it the show to beat.

Other channels following suit

ABS-CBN's rival network GMA is quickly following suit. Perhaps rediscovering the potential of telenovelas in boosting network ratings, the network has placed a telenovela in its midday slot. It is re-airing Thalia's Marimar which is doing well considering it has been aired for several times already.

Also, Studio 23 has decided to finally air El Autentico Rodrigo Leal ( Finding Rodrigo). After almost a year of looking for Rodrigo, ABS-CBN’s sister network has decided to air the Colombian telenovela in September. El Autentico Rodrigo Leal was supposed to be aired last year, but after months of titilating the audience with the teaser, the network decided to push back its airing.

Dramathon sa Hapon all over again?

Prompted by a reignited demand for Latin-flavored dramas, ABS-CBN has decided to add another telenovela in its afternoon lineup- Las Tontas no van al Cielo. So, is it back to Dramathon sa Hapon? The idea stirs the imagination of telenovela fans.

Here are the Top 10 weekday and weekend programs for the month of June based on a survey conducted by AGB Nielsen among NUTAM households:


Top Weekday Programs (Daytime)

1. Paalam Daboy 1952-2008** (GMA-7) - 26%
2. El Cuerpo Del Deseo (ABS-CBN) - 23.6%
3. Paalam Daboy** (ABS-CBN) - 22.9%
4. Wowowee (ABS-CBN) - 22.2%
5. Ligaw na Bulaklak (ABS-CBN) - 19.4%
6. Kaputol ng Isang Awit (GMA-7) - 19%
7-8. Daisy Siete (GMA-7) - 17.9%
7-8. Magdusa Ka (GMA-7) - 17.9%
9. Pilipinas, Game KNB? (ABS-CBN) - 17.8%
10. Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan (GMA-7) - 16.4%

** tv special