ABS-CBN IS PREPARED TO TAKE UP THE challenge of TV5, now under the management of Manny Pangilinan?s MediaQuest, in ?providing the best content? for viewers, according to Kapamilya network Channel head Cory Vidanes.

?We are ready to compete. Even before Manny Pangilinan took over TV5, we?ve already lined up new projects for 2010,? said Vidanes, who, with Entertainment head Linggit Tan and Business Unit head Deo Endrinal, sat down to lunch with Inquirer Entertainment recently.

TV5?s goal is to ?provide the best content for everyone, everywhere, anytime,? said Pangilinan during the last Ad Congress held in Subic Bay. He announced that the network is going into movie production, and vowed to make more films than ABS-CBN?s Star Cinema and GMA Films combined.

During the lunch, ABS-CBN chair and CEO Gabby Lopez and president Charo Santos-Concio came by. We asked Lopez if he was provoked by Pangilinan?s declarations. His quick reply: ?[It?s] business as usual [for us].?

?When we compete, we go where we are strong, which is content,? Endrinal said. ?We make sure our products address all the markets that we want to penetrate.?

Added Vidanes: ?We have content that inspires the viewers. [The drama show] ?May Bukas Pa,? for example?we hear priests endorse the show in their sermons. We?re glad to help impart good values.?

Isn?t ABS-CBN afraid of being raided for talent? ?We?re ready,? said Vidanes. ?When there?s a new player, that?s always a threat. [But] our people are well-taken care of.?

Will you let TV5 borrow your stars?

Vidanes: No, that?s no longer possible. It happened before because we didn?t have projects for our artists. This year, we have a lot of new shows, so artists will have to choose.

GMA 7 has positioned itself as the fantaserye network. What do you think will TV5 do?

V: They have to go basic first. It?s going to be difficult for TV5 if it starts with complicated materials. It depends on whether or not they get good producers.

What are your plans for 2010?

V: For the first quarter, we have seven new shows to commemorate 60 Years of Philippine Soap Opera. We recently proclaimed Judy Ann [Santos as] the Face of Philippine Soap Opera. Judy Ann started the soap in ABS-CBN in the 1980s with ?Mara Clara.? It was our ?pang-tapat? to Channel 9?s ?Marimar.? It was also the start of horizontal programming, the airing of Monday-to-Friday shows.

Why is a drama show referred to as a ?soap opera??

Endrinal: Procter and Gamble coined the word. It produced the first radio soap opera in the 1930s. The longest-running soap (45 years) in America, ?As The World Turns,? will say goodbye next year. Shows like this were originally intended for housewives, who listen to radio programs or watch TV shows while doing the laundry. In April 1949, P&G brought in the very first Pinoy soap, ?Gulong ng Palad,? which aired on dzRH. It was written by Lina Flor and directed by Lucas Paredes.

Is drama really back?
V: It came back in 2009. If you look at the scenario last year, ?May Bukas Pa,? ?Tayong Dalawa? and ?Dahil May Isang Ikaw? did well. Drama is really the strength of ABS-CBN.

E: It has had many permutations, of course. From the ?soap opera? during the time of Judy Ann to the ?teleserye? at the time of ?Pangako Sa?yo? with Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa; then came the ?fantaserye? with ?Marina,? featuring Claudine Barretto; after that was the ?action-serye? with Robin Padilla (?Basta?t Kasama Kita?) and then the ?sineserye? with ?Palimos ng Pag-ibig? and ?Bituing Walang Ningning.?

V: The basic ingredient is drama. Viewers get very involved. When Kim Chiu?s character in ?Tayong Dalawa? died, we received a ton of e-mail. Even our TFC executives wrote, asking what happened.

E: Romance is a given. You can?t have a drama without a love story. It?s part of the formula.

You?re celebrating 60 years of soap without Claudine Barretto?

V: Claudine didn?t have an existing contract with us when she got offers from other production companies. But she?s still a part of our history. She grew up here.

E: When Judy Ann did ?Esperanza,? Claudine did ?Mula sa Puso.? Nagpapalitan sila. Juday had ?Sa Piling Mo? while she had ?Walang Kapalit.? Juday did ?Sa Puso Ko Iingatan Ka? and Claudine did ?Saan Ka Man Naroroon.?

What?s your plan for the morning slot?

V: Right now, we have ?Showtime,? (hosted by Vhong Navarro and Anne Curtis). It has made a breakthrough in the morning time slot. But we don?t want to abandon the idea of launching a new morning talk show.

?ASAP? is celebrating its 15th year in 2010. What are your plans for the Sunday variety show?

E: It has become more than just a TV show. It?s a huge success. It?s effectively a brand. It has successfully grouped together artists like the Kanto Boys, the Sessionistas and the Champions. Granted, the show has had ups and downs. There was a time when we lost Martin (Nievera) and Pops (Fernandez). The key is to develop the talents you have. We took care of a lot of new breed of singers. We started with Sarah (Geronimo).