25 July 2003 - 'Meteor Garden' buries competition: ONLY LESS than a month on local TV, the Taiwanese soap "Meteor Garden," dubbed in Tagalog by ABS-CBN, has made it to the No. 5 spot among the network's Top 15 programs, according to the AGB Philippines survey for the period of May 18 to 24. "Meteor Garden" posted a rating of 29.6 percent, the survey said. ABS-CBN bought the rights to air "Meteor Garden," which has started a region-wide craze. The lead stars, the boy band, F4 or Flower 4, is also fast gaining popularity in Europe and the United States and have two hit CDs. However, the popularity of "Meteor Garden," shown at 5:30 p.m. daily, has also raised a howl of protest. Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chair Consoliza P. Laguardia earlier brought to the attention of ABS-CBN vice president for TV Cory Vidanes the complaints against the program, that certain episodes of which are said to have violated the provisions of the censorship law. Bulacan Rep.
Willie Villarama has called for the banning of "Meteor Garden," noting that it was also banned in China, where parents reportedly complained that the show had a bad effect on society and the young. Laguardia also ordered ABS-CBN to submit each episode of "Meteor Garden" to the board for review and approval prior to telecast. In a letter to Laguardia last June 4, Maloli Espinosa-Manalastas, ABS-CBN vice president for government and corporate affairs and PR, assured the MTRCB chair that the network would exercise self-regulation and "closely review the presentation of the program." "We are mindful of our responsibility to the viewers of the program, most of whom are children and minors," said Manalastas' letter to MTRCB. "We will ensure that the scenes included in the program fall properly within the Parental Guidato all f4 fans i just want to inform you that Hua Ze Lei Or Vic Zhou is now happily married to San Cai's(Barbie) sister in real life. Vic Zhou announced it in one of his international interview.
Translated by: Carolina Roboch