« STAR MAKER — the power to make and break stars
I CELEBRITY — the power to draw audiences
v CONTENT — the power of hits
µ DISTRIBUTION — the power and network to distribute hits to people
¤ POLITICS — the power of political clout and the right political connections
l MONEY — the power to finance entertainment projects

1. EUGENIO LOPEZ III, Chairman and CEO, ABS-CBN

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Gabby Lopez is the quintessential media mogul presiding over a media empire. Software and hardware, content to delivery, if it has to do with entertainment, chances are he controls it via the vast network of properties acquired and reacquired by the Lopez family over the past 25 years. That conglomerate now includes properties that range from TV and radio broadcasting to cable, internet service, product licensing, recording, film production, post-production, new media, publishing, and international distribution. Although Gabby Lopez inherited his position from his father — the late Eugenio 'Geny' Lopez Sr. — it is his vision of a vertically integrated media company that has transformed ABS-CBN from a broadcasting business into the most profitable and powerful total entertainment company in the country.

2. FEDERICO GARCIA, President and COO, ABS-CBN

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Freddie Garcia is the king of programming — a distinction even the competition acknowledges. A legendary figure at the network, Garcia was invited back to run the station when the Lopezes reacquired ABS-CBN in 1986; he turned the station around from last to first place in ratings and revenues in just over a year. His secret lies in his uncanny ability to feel the pulse of the market, spot promising talent, manufacture hype, and produce hits. Garcia is above all a marketing genius who has transformed ABS-CBN into one of the most recognizable and admired brands in the country.

3. FELIPE GOZON, Chairman and CEO, GMA Network

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As head of GMA, Felipe Gozon oversees a group of media companies that include broadcasting, new media, post-production, and international distribution. He recounts how GMA management had once been content to pay second fiddle to ABS-CBN, content in its reputation for balanced programming and award-winning shows. That culture, he now says, is a thing of the past. When Gozon took over as CEO of GMA in 2000, one of the first things he did was purge the management team led by his predecessor and co-owner Menardo Jimenez. Gozon has revitalized GMA by bringing new blood into his top management team, recruiting big stars, and introducing bold programming moves to challenge rival ABS-CBN head on. So far, his aggressive moves are paying off. From a far second in the ratings, GMA has moved up and continues to inch closer to ABS-CBN, even edging the network in daytime and weekend programming. The rise of GMA has leveled the playing field and challenged the virtual monopoly ABS-CBN enjoyed over artists, talents, and advertisers.

4. LILY MONTEVERDE, Executive Producer, Regal Films

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Mother Lily defies the average person's image of a media mogul. Low-key and unapologetically plain, she prefers to remain backstage where she knows the real power resides. After decades of providing the public with some of the most popular films and love teams, Mother Lily remains an enigma to those who can't seem to decide whether to revile or celebrate her. The reason for the ambivalence? Her practice of manipulating the entertainment press into hyping Regal's latest projects and the studio's leading stars through manufactured intrigues and staged controversies. Despite this, few deny her talent for determining the taste of the ordinary person, an ability she continues to develop through watching films in public movie houses and mingling with the fans. And as Assunta de Rossi's breakthrough film "Red Diaries" tells us, Mother Lily has proven that a gut feel for the market coupled with a heavy dose of controversy remain a winning formula for generating box-office hits and catapulting unknowns to stardom.

5. VIC DEL ROSARIO, Chairman and CEO, VIVA Entertainment Group

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The crisis in the recording and movie industry has diminished the power and profits of Boss Vic's formidable entertainment empire. Although still a force in the music recording, film production and distribution business, VIVA's fortunes have been kept alive by its investment in television programming on IBC 13's primetime block. Del Rosario has shown that he's still a major player with a number of bankable hits like the popular game show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" and the PBA series. By acquiring Vintage Sports, VIVA has also become the country's premier sports content provider.

6. CHARO SANTOS-CONCIO, Executive Vice President, ABS-CBN Entertainment Group and Star Cinema

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Charo Santos-Concio is known better for her powerful performances on screen than for the power she wields within ABS-CBN's entertainment division, where she oversees the production of programs and the hiring of talents that put together the network's dramas, variety shows, and sit-coms. Through smash hits like the telenovelas "Esperanza" and "Pangako sa 'Yo," and box office winners like Star Cinema's "Anak," Santos has exhibited a knack for manipulating the heart strings of female audiences all over the country.

7. FERNANDO POE JR., Actor

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The king of action films is also the most popular actor who hardly ever acts anymore. For FPJ, power seems to grow inversely proportional to the number of films he stars in. The few movies he's done have been consistent hits at the box office and even reruns on TV are ratings winners. He has used his popularity to command huge talent fees and his clout to get producers to provide him creative control over film projects and the television rights to them. Political power is also something FPJ wields these days. None other than best buddy Erap, otherwise known as ex-President Joseph Estrada, promises to back him in 2004 if ever the action king considers a run for the presidency.