<P> The late 1970s and 1980s oversaw two of the country's most iconic rival television dramas that stood out to their popularity until today . RPN - 9 produced Flordeluna, starring award - winning actress Janice de Belen . The cast also included "Drama King" Dindo Fernando and award - winning actress and director Laurice Guillen . At the same time, GMA produced the hit tale Anna Liza starring child actress and FAMAS awardee Julie Vega . This marked one of the biggest rivalries in Philippine showbiz history between Vega and de Belen (despite being highlighted as bestfriends offscreen). However, Anna Liza was cancelled in 1985 due to Julie Vega's death and as a result, the series had an unfinished storyline and a two - hour special in 1986, which was supposedly its final year on air . Both series were controversial from the start due to the rivalry between the fanbases of Vega and de Belen . </P> <P> Until the late 1980s, most of the popular Philippine television dramas had been broadcast in afternoon timeblocks . At the same time, ABS - CBN resumed operations after the expulsion of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and regained its lead among rival networks in audience ratings by the end of the decade . By the 1990s, however, a new wave of international television phenomenon would soon sweep the Philippines as well . This started with the' Telenovela Craze' due to imported Mexican dramas shown in the country . Largely credited to the so - called Las Tres Marias or Maria Trilogy of telenovelas produced by the world - leading Televisa and starred by Thalía (starting with Maria Mercedes shown on ABS - CBN and Marimar shown on RPN - 9, both as primetime shows), major networks had begun to reschedule locally made telenovelas into primetime slots to encourage more Filipino audiences to watch at night and for advertisers to invest more on these shows . By the mid-1990s, melodramas surpassed sitcoms (both in number of shows produced and in nationwide audience ratings) as the most dominant form of primetime television in the Philippines . </P> <P> The 1990s television dramas boosted the careers of several actors and actresses that became household names in the Philippines during and after the end of their shows' original runs . However, there were key long - running dramas that stood out due to its popularity . For example, the ABS - CBN drama Mara Clara, running from 1992 to 1997, gained nationwide popularity due to the intense rivalry between Judy Ann Santos as the protagonist Mara and Gladys Reyes as the evil antagonist Clara . The series became the longest - running post-Martial Law telenovela in Philippine television history, and had experienced frequent timeslot changes before settling into the standard 7: 00 P.M. - 8: 00 P.M. primetime block by late 1995 . Mara Clara is also credited for being the country's first ever successful telenovela to spawn a similarly successful movie (under the same name). Santos would later on continue her television success between 1997 and 1999 with her most iconic drama series to date, titled Esperanza . A film was also made after this drama's finale in 1999 . A 1997 Esperanza episode currently holds the record for the all - time highest rated single episode for any Philippine television series . </P> <P> The telenovela Valiente ran from 1992 to 1997; its first 2 and a half years on ABS - CBN, and 2 years on GMA - 7 . Judy Ann Santos remains at the time the "Primetime Queen" of Philippine television and earned the title "Queen of Soap Operas" for her roles in Mara Clara and Esperanza . But in mid-1997, another series, Mula sa Puso (From The Heart), gave fame to the second "Primetime Queen," Claudine Barretto where she played the heiress Via in the 2 - year - long soap, together with her leading men Rico Yan and Diether Ocampo, and Princess Punzalan as Selina, the most influential character of the series . Punzalan's antagonist performance was highly regarded among the best on Philippine television, setting standards for future Filipino telenovela villains . The intense rivalry between the characters of Punzalan and Jacklyn Jose (as Via's mother Magda) became an icon for most of the succeeding decades on Philippine television . Simultaneously running with Esperanza, both programs pioneered crossover episodes among Philippine telenovelas during the same period, and Mula sa Puso spawned another successful movie after its finale in 1999 . </P>

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